>4,..ii,.^^  .a-,. 


THE  AUTHOR 


HIS  STORY  OF  BETHALTO 


DEDICATED  TO  THE 

BOYS  OF  BETHALTO 
HEROES  OF  THE  WORLD  WAR 

BY 

HENRY  W.  ZIMMERMANN 


BETHALTO,  ILLINOIS 

1921. 


CONTENTS 


Page 

Preface  ^ 7 

Bethalto  10 

Liberty  Loans  I3 

Causes  of  the  World  War  19 

Bethalto  Branch  American  Red  Cross  22 

Martial  Airs 24 

Fading  Away  26 

OUR  BOYS: 

Elmer  T.  Olthoff  29 

Edward  B.  Bowman  45 

Henry  Edward  Henkhaus  54 

Walter  Wulf  '  "     53 

Andrew  Sanders  61 

Elmer  A.  Elliott 62 

Elmer  O.  Schoeneweis  69 

Fred  D.  Obermiller  73 

Edward  D.  Bayless  74 

Fred  G.  Hassman  gO 

Gotlieb  W.  Stahlhut  82 

George  C.  Harmoning  85 

John  H.  Weyen 87 

Leslie  Prehn  88 

^C  Frank  Driscoll 94 

■**  Henry  C.  Zimmermann  98 

^  Gene  McCracken  102 

Herman  Olthoft  105 

James  Fred  Jones 108 

Arthur  Jones  109 

Arthur  George  Elliott  112 

William  E.  Neunaber  115 

Edward  J.  Neunaber  117 

Limon  Neunaber 118 

Charles  Neunaber 123 

John  J.  Balster  129 

John  Benjamin  Reinke  131 

5 


X" 


Q. 


C\ 


OUR  BOYS: 

Page 

Reinhard  Kruckebtirg  133 

Charles   P.artels   135 

George  W  alters  137 

Fred  F.  Stahlhut  139 

George  Hiimm  141 

George  E.  Luman  143 

Edward  A.  Stahlhut  144 

Edward  G.  Schoerfbarim  151 

Frank  J.   Starkey   157 

Clarence  S.  Ryan  161 

Edward  Bangert 166 

George   Bowman   172 

George  F.  Smith,  Jr 178 

Emil  H.  Paul  186 

Fred  W.  Sanders  192 

William  H.  Dettmers 194 

Ben  T.  Albers  203 

Gustave  H.  Bangert  204 

Albert  Eugene  Kayser 207 

George  J.  Deist 211 

Rudolph   Lohr 212 

Ernest  H.  Brunk  214 

Heye   Collman   217 

Jesse  Lenord  Clements  220 

William  H.  Luman  225 

Edward  J.  Kruse  231 

Henry  Barber  237 

Henry  C.  Bangert  239 

John  W.  Silland  243 

Leo  F.  V/illis  250 

George  Thomas  Eccles  258 

William  H.  Wohlert  .' 260 

Charles  Kuhn  266 

Charles   Cooper 271 

Grover  Cleveland  Wiemers  274 

The  Werts  Brothers  279 


PREFACE 

rJHEN  on  November  11th,  1918,  a  demonstration  was  witnessed 
by  the  writer,  he  need  not  have  asked  himself  why  this  dem- 
onstration, why  this  noise  and  racket,  why  these  tears,  why 
this  joy,  why  this  hoarseness  ?  he  need  not  have  asked  a  spec- 
tator or  any  of  the  participants,  why  this  blowing  of  whistles 
and  horns,  the  ringing  of  bells  or  this  revelry?  for  the  look  in  each 
face  told  what  had  happened.  It  was  on  this  day  and  on  this  occasion 
that  the  writer  resolved  to  put  into  print  that  for  which  the  good 
citizens  of  this  community  were  feeling  so  happy  over.  It  is  not  too 
much  to  assert  at  this  time  that  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  com- 
munity had  acquired  a  knowledge  of  the  principal  events  of  the  past 
four  years ;  it  is  not  too  much  to  assert  that  the  inhabitants  were  di- 
rectly interested  in  the  events  of  the  past  four  years ;  it  is  for  this 
reason  that  the  writer  resolved  to  have  put  into  print  the  history  of 
this  community  in  a  simple  readable  form  so  that  in  the  future  it  will 
not  be  necessary^  to  say  that  the  history  of  Bethalto  has  failed  to  be 
chronicled,  as  it  failed  at  the  close  of  the  Civil  War.  Countless  stories 
and  many  histories  will  be  written  about  the  World  War,  millions  of 
books  will  be  placed  on  the  market  enumerating  the  deeds  of  our  men  ; 
yet  no  book  will  be  written  in  which  our  community  will  be  mentioned. 
It  is  for  this  reason  that  the  writer  feels  it  is  necessary  to  have  printed 
and  put  into  book  form  the  part  this  little  conmiunity  took  in  the 
Great  W^orld  War ;  in  view  of  this  fact  it  is  most  desirable  that  a 
history  should  present  the  features  of  the  progress  that  the  inhabit- 
ants should  know. 

In  this  book  the  history  of  those  who  took  part  in  this  struggle  is 
told  in  words  of  truth  and  fairness.  There  is  nothing  recorded  here- 
in but  told  by  the  person  of  whom  it  is  written ;  if  that  became  im- 
possible, as  in  a  few  instances,  by  some  authentic  person  who  had  a 
clear  knowledge  of  the  statements  made.  The  attempt  to  write  a 
historv  is  undoubtedly  a  difficult  undertaking,  and  more  so  when,  as 
now,  the  popular  mind  is  somewhat  divided,  caused  by  the  exciting 
times  through  which  our  nation  was  whirled.  For  that  reason  only 
those  happenings  are  recorded  that  the  boys  of  this  community,  who 
will  from  now  on  be  called  Our  Boys,  have  witnessed.  To  this  end 
the  writer  has  confined  himself  within  the  scope  of  such  evidence. 
The  events  are  recorded  as  they  appeared  to  Our  Boys  the  past  two 
years.     Although  only  65  of  Our  Boys  took  part  in  the  great  struggle 


many  volumes  would  be  required  to  record  in  detail  all  the  movements 
through  which  they  were  crowded  in  the  short  space  of  time.  Al- 
though some  data  are  taken  from  ofificial  records  it  is  not  the  intention 
of  the  writer  that  this  book  be  taken  as  official. 

The  name  of  each  soldier  appears  in  a  separate  article  and  a  nar- 
rative as  accurate  as  possible  was  formed  from  the  sources  of  informa- 
tion that  each  gave.  The  writer  in  the  course  of  his  narrative  en- 
deavored to  avoid  all  approach  to  overdrawing  in  order  to  give  justice 
to  all  classes,  and  show  that  our  community  with  Our  Boys  was  faith- 
ful from  the  beginning  until  a  successful  end  was  attained ;  and  to 
show  a  history  can  be  written  wherein  they  were  all  sincere,  honorable 
and  obedient,  even  to  make  the  supreme  sacrifice. 

When  Lincoln  became  President  in  1861,  he  did  not  realize  the 
world  would  in  the  future  honor  him  for  something  that  he  had  given 
no  consideration  on  the  day  of  his  inauguration.  When  the  Great 
War  broke  out  and  he  called  for  75,000  V^olunteers,  the  Boys  of  '61 
responded  at  once ;  we  have  some  of  these  volunteers  with  us  now  who 
will  verify  my  statement.  Little  did  they  realize  that  the  world  would 
honor  them  for  helping  to  accomplish  something  that  they  had  not 
dreamed  about  accomplishing.  Thus  our  great  leader  of  '61  and  the 
fighters  of  '61  unconsciously  saw  the  greatest  thing  that  ever  happened 
come  drifting  their  way ;  thus  the  world  became  free  regardless  of  race 
or  color. 

When  Our  Boys  joined  the  colors  they  little  realized  what  their 
services  would  amount  to  in  the  future,  and  little  did  they  care.  They 
trusted  our  government  and  like  the  Boys  of  '61  who  volunteered  or 
were  drafted  to  preserve  the  Union,  so  Our  Boys  either  volunteered 
or  were  drafted  to  preserve  the  State.  Our  Boys  went,  little  dreaming 
they  would  some  day  be  classed  with  those  who  accomplished  the 
greatest  feat  the  world  had  ever  known.  The  negro  slave  of  '61 
could  not  throw  off  the  burden  of  slavery,  so  an  outside  force  where 
slavery  was  unknown  had  to  do  it.  The  citizens  of  the  Central 
Powers  of  Europe  had  not  the  power  to  throw  off  the  yoke  of  mili- 
tarism, so  a  liberty-loving  nation  like  ours  had  to  come  to  their  assist- 
ance ;  a  nation  who  knows  nothing  of  serfdom,  a  nation  who  detests 
militarism  forced  the  shackles  from  others  and  made  them  free. 

Many  a  negro  in  the  sixties  preferred  slavery  to  freedom,  for  he 
knew  not  what  freedom  was,  and  there  is  no  doubt  about  many  a 
citizen  of  Europe  hating  to  see  militarism  defeated ;  for  he  knows  not 
what  real  freedom  is.  Our  Boys  from  here  went  singing:  "We 
don't  know  where  we're  going,  But  we're  on  our  way."  They  trusted 
the  government  for  you  could  hear  them  sing :     "We  don't  know  what 

8 


it's  all  about,  But  I  bet,  b'gosh,  we'll  soon  find  out."  They  followed 
the  flag  for  they  knew  it  is  the  emblem  of  the  Brave  and  the  Free. 

Their  feelings  in  their  travels  are  recorded  as  they  appeared  to 
them  while  they  were  away,  and  if  their  treatment  was  not  as  good 
as  the  reader  would  have  it  let  it  be  known  that  it  was  not  the  fault 
of  our  government,  but  sometimes  due  to  ignorance  or  arrogance  of 
the  individual  in  charge.  Many  hardships  are  enumerated  in  this 
book,  but  the  blame  is  generally  given  to  whom  the  blame  belonged. 
Although  the  greatest  object  was  attained  through  the  sheer  force 
and  will  power  of  Our  Boys,  the  pleasures  and  hardships  should  be 
recorded;  for  this  book  is  not  written  with  any  particular  object  in 
view,  only  to  describe  the  lives  and  the  trials  of  Our  Boys,  and  with- 
out these  incidents  this  book  is  not  worth  the  reading. 

If  any  errors  are  made,  they  should  be  overlooked,  for  this  book 
is  not  written  for  critics ;  it  is  not  overdrawn,  and  the  stories  of  the 
lives  of  our  soldier  boys  speak  only  of  their  travels,  their  joys  and 
sorrows.  Every  soldier  of  the  millions  who  served  Uncle  Sam  has 
experienced  many  of  the  incidents  enumerated  herein,  thus  making  it 
a  novel  history  for  all.  The  language  is  typically  American,  and  the 
expressions  are  those  of  our  community.  AUTHOR. 


BETHALTO 

group  of  houses,  a  cluster  of  cosy  homes,  a  number  of  modern 
cottages,  situated  on  a  great  Divide  between  large  wooded 
hills  on  one  side  and  wide  prairie  lands  on  the  other;  always 
ready  to  spring  into  prominence  from  one  side  or  cast  into 
oblivion  from  the  other.  That  is  the  old  home  town ;  it  is 
located  in  the  remotest  part  of  one  of  the  principal  townships  in  the 
county,  and  in  one  of  the  most  obscure  parts  of  one  of  the  wealthiest 
counties  in  the  best  State  in  the  Union.  Far  away  from  the  import- 
ant cities  and  apart  from  all  industrial  centers  the  inhabitants  of  this 
community  have  lived  a  life  of  contentment  more  than  seventy-five 
years,  have  maintained  a  population  of  a  possible  five  hundred  from 
the  very  beginning  of  its  existence.  Sprung  into  prominence  on 
account  of  its  mining  industries,  and  kept  on  this  basis  on  account  of 
the  development  of  the  rich  prairie  lands,  this  common  burg  has  been 
neither  above  nor  below  par  since  its  origin. 

Surrounding  this  group,  small  pastures  have  been  set  apart  by 
the  neighboring  farmers  for  the  benefit  of  the  inhabitants  who  are 
using  them  for  their  stock.  Mornings  and  evenings  you  can  see  the 
boys  riding  their  horses  to  the  pastures,  driving  the  cows  before 
them.  A  little  beyond  these  is  the  cemetery  where  lie  buried  those 
who  formerly  resided  here.  A  beautiful  walk  has  been  laid  to  the 
burial  grounds  where  on  Sundays  and  pleasant  week  days  you  can  see 
the  old  and  young  alike  carrying  bouquets  of  flowers  of  the  season 
and  placing  them  on  the  graves  of  friends  and  relatives.  Those  of  a 
more  frivolous  nature,  and  caring  less  for  solemn  things,  seldom  get- 
ting any  farther  than  the  shade  trees  under  which  is  located  the 
famous  Lovers'  Bridge,  named  in  honor  of  the  young  who  are  wont  to 
while  away  a  few  pleasant  hours  on  pleasant  evenings.  On  Sunday 
afternoons  the  middle  aged  can  be  seen  loitering  around  and  talking  of 
times  gone  by,  and  as  the  day  wanes  and  the  older  classes  wend  their 
way  homeward  the  younger  generation  may  be  seen  talking  of  the 
future.  Thus  Lovers'  Bridge  has  become  famous,  and  will  remain  so 
until  time  for  the  little  town  ceases.  Roads  lead  you  into  town  from 
all  directions,  and  on  Saturday  afternoons  you  can  see  coming  into 
town  all  classes  of  people,  some  on  foot,  others  with  horse  and  buggy, 
while  still  others  of  the  more  thrifty  class,  having  discarded  their 
surries,  come  speeding  up  in  their  automobiles.  These  come  in  to  do 
their  week's  shopping  and  making  calls  on  relatives  and  friends. 

10 


On  the  edg-e  of  the  town  can  be  seen  the  grove  known  everywhere 
for  its  school  picnics,  public  dances  and  other  entertainments ;  where 
the  aged  meet  the  aged,  to  talk  over  by-gone  days,  and  watch  the 
younger  generation  enjoy  themselves ;  where  young  men  are  seen 
spending  their  money  freely  in  trying  to  outdo  each  other  in  throwing, 
rolling,  running  races,  or  other  innocent  games ;  where  the  young 
ladies  dressed  in  their  "Sunday  Best"  promenade  through  the  park 
until  evening,  when  the  dancing  floor  becomes  the  main  object  of 
amusements ;  where  the  home  orchestra  furnishes  music  for  the 
occasion ;  and,  last  and  best,  where  children  are  seen  romping  over  the 
grounds,  some  making  use  of  the  swings  or  playing  children's  games, 
while  still  others  having  spent  their  dimes  are  seen  munching  on  pop- 
corn balls  or  displaying  prizes  that  have  been  so  luckily  drawn  from 
the  package.  Thus  it  happens  that  the  Grove  is  known  not  only  to 
the  inhabitants  of  the  town,  but  also  to  those  of  neighboring  villages. 

The  little  four-room  brick  school  on  the  edge  of  town  rests  on  a 
knoll  that  was  donated  to  the  district  by  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
town,  and  children  trip  along  the  same  as  their  parents  and  grand- 
parents did  years  ago.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  improvements 
to  the  school  within  the  last  few  years,  no  change  has  taken  place 
excepting  when  an  instructor  resigns  he  is  replaced  by  another,  who, 
like  his  predecessor,  has  received  his  elementary  education  in  the  same 
school  where  he  is  employed  as  instructor. 

The  churches,  five  in  number,  have  a  membership  nearly  equal  to 
the  number  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  little  town ;  some  were  built  more 
than  sixty  years  ago.  Several  small  mines  on  the  edge  of  town 
afford  employment  for  a  few,  while  many  are  engaged  in  occupations 
that  are  common  in  a  town  of  this  size. 

Nothing  is  done  by  halves  in  this  little  town;  the  streets  are  al- 
ways neat  and  clean ;  sidewalks  of  the  best  kind  lead  to  every  residence 
in  the  village  and  the  inhabitants  take  great  pride  in  their  homes. 
Ministers,  teachers,  physicians  and  heads  of  the  various  establish- 
ments mingle  with  all  villagers  alike  for  there  is  no  class  distinction. 
A  brotherly  feeling  exists  everywhere ;  members  of  churches  and 
Sunday  schools  mingle  as  if  there  existed  but  one  church.  Members 
of  the  various  secret  organizations  meet  in  the  same  hall  and  live  in 
harmony  among  each  other.  Life  is  complete  and  one  round  of 
harmony ;  near  enough  to  neighboring  cities  to  trade,  yet  far  enough 
to  keep  away  from  the  frivolous  snares  of  advanced  civilization. 

The  Village  Hall  is  used  for  all  public  gatherings  and  although 
a  jail  was  built  for  the  purpose  of  confining  lawbreakers,  it  is  never 
used  excepting  when  a  lunatic  escapes  from  some  nearby  asylum. 

11 


With  large  playgrounds  for  the  children,  hunting  grounds  all 
around  the  town  for  the  youthful  hunter;  creeks,  ponds,  and  rivers  in 
the  immediate  neighborhood  for  those  who  love  to  indulge  in  swim- 
ming or  fishing,  it  is  no  wonder  one  of  the  inhabitants  expressed  him- 
self in  the  following  verses  : 

MY  OLD  HOME  TOWN. 

A  cluster  of  homes  in  a  beautiful  land, 
Surrounded  by  prairies,  and  woods  and  sand  ; 
One  of  the  choicest  spots  on  earth — 
My  old  home  town,  the  place  of  my  birth. 
You  may  travel  our  land  from  east  to  west, 
Seeking  a  home,  a  haven  of  rest ; 
You'll  continue  to  roam  and  ramble  around 
Until  you  strike  My  Old  Home  Town. 

And  when  you  do,  my  friend,  you'll  quit, 
And  simply  say,  "By  gum,  this  is  it ;" 
This  is  the  spot  I've  been  lookin'  for 
For  many  a  year — befo'  the  war. 
I  didn't  think  such  a  place  was  made — 
Fruit  and  melons,  with  plenty  of  shade; 
Nothin'  to  do  but  mosey  'round — 
That's  what  they  do  in  My  Old  Home  Town. 

If  ever  you  happen  to  come  this  way 
You're  sure  to  make  up  your  mind  to  stay 
In  my  home  town  the  rest  of  your  life ; 
The  one  live  spot,  free  from  strife. 
A  land  of  honey,  fruits  and  flowers, 
Beautiful  sunshine,  and  pleasant  hours. 
Nothing  like  it  for  miles  around ; 
The  one  great  place — Aly  Old  Home  Town. 

Bethalto,  I  love  to  call  thee  my  home ; 
Bethalto,  a  place  where  I  love  to  roam. 
Where  a  friend  is  my  neighbor, 
A  neighbor  my  friend. 

Where  the  pleasantest  hours  I  always  spend. 
Where  joys  and  sorrows  are  shared  by  all. 
Where  friendship  and  love  is  duty's  call. 
Bethalto,  my  thoughts  are  ever  wuth  thee, 
Until  time  merges  into  eternity. 

12 


Dr.  C.  A.    AVERY 
Chairman  Liberty  Loans 


LIBERTY  LOANS 

HEN  the  First  Liberty  Loan  drive  ended  the  people  of  this 
vicinity  had  scarcely  discussed  the  subject,  only  a  few  having 
voluntarily  subscribed  for  bonds  of  the  First  Liberty  Loan. 
When  the  Second  Liberty  Loan  drive  was  on  the  spirit   of 

cooperation  was  lacking  until  after  President  Wilson's  and 

Governor  Lowden's  proclamations  for  all  our  people  to  meet  together 
on  October  26th,  1917.  designating  the  occasion  as  "Liberty  Day," 
making  it  the  climax  of  the  Second  Liberty  Loan  drive.  Mayor 
John  Jones  called  a  meeting  in  the  Village  Hall  where  an  organization 
was  formed  to  observe  the  president's  and  governor's  proclamations. 
As  a  result  of  this  meeting  a  local  organization  was  perfected  to  solicit 
the  sale  of  Liberty  Bonds  as  well  as  arrange  for  a  patriotic  program 
on  the  day  designated  "Liberty  Day."  Speakers  for  this  occasion 
were  Harry  Herb,  Jos.  B.  Steck,  and  Gilson  Brown  of  Alton ;  J.  W. 
McCracken,  chairman  of  the  speakers'  committee,  had  charge  of  the 
meeting,  which  was  held  in  Klein's  Hall.  Rev.  Thomson  opened  the 
meeting  with  prayer.  The  Bethalto  band  enlivened  the  occasion  with 
several  patriotic  selections,  and  the  school  children  sang  "The  Star 
Spangled  Banner,"  "America,"  and  a  parody  written  to  the  tune  of 
"Hold  the  Fort."  Dr.  Claude  Avery,  chairman  of  the  sales  commit- 
tee, with  his  assistants  reported  $4500  bonds  subscribed  at  this  meet- 
ing. A  meeting  was  held  at  night  in  the  Presbyterian  church.  Dr. 
Claude  Avery  had  composed  a  song  poem  to  the  tune  of  "Hold  the 
Fort,"  which  was  sung  from  beginning  to  end  four  different  times. 
The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  poem : 

Look,  the  foes  of  liberty  spread  ruin  at  their  will, 

The  boys  in  khaki  are  on  the  way  to  whip  Old  Kaiser  Bill. 

CHORUS : 
Hold  Flanders,  we  are  coming.    Freedom's    defenders    still. 
Shout  the  word  around  the  w^orld,  Woodrow  Wilson  will. 
The  Kaiser's  power  at  last  will  break  by  progress  of  the  world, 
Lasting  peace  is  coming  soon,   'Cause  Old  Glory's  unfurled. 

Rev.  Thomson's  discourse  on  "The  Good  Samaritan"  was  a  suit- 
able theme  to  show  America's  duty  relative  to  devastated  Belgium  and 
France.  The  spirit  of  cooperation  for  the  success  of  the  Second 
Liberty  Loan  was  now  assured,  and  Bethalto,  never  doing  anything  by 
halves,  oversubscribed  her  quota. 

13 


The  Third  Liberty  Loan  came,  and  found  Bethalto  well  organized 
for  the  campaign ;  a  monstrous  parade  was  planned,  consisting  of 
Bethalto's  and  Walnut  Grove's  school  children,  mothers  of  soldiers. 
Red  Cross  nurses,  veterans  of  the  Civil  War,  village  officials,  men  on 
horseback,  citizens,  and  210  automobiles.  The  parade  was  led  by 
Bethalto's  band  and  marshaled  by  Fred  Ilumm.  It  was  the  first  day 
of  May,  1918 ;  the  weather  was  fine  and  from  the  time  the  parade  be- 
gan to  march,  the  band  filled  the  air  with  martial  music ;  the  marchers 
all  along  the  way  carried  appropriate  banners,  and  kept  shouting  a 
tirade  of  patriotic  slogans,  displaying  a  meaning  that  could  not  admit 
of  dispute.  Fred  Humm  marshaled  the  parade  through  the  town 
and  finally  halted  in  front  of  the  Farmer's  Bank  building,  where  a 
speaker's  stand  had  been  prepared.  The  speakers  of  the  evening  were, 
"British"  Unterbrink,  Jos.  B.  Steck  and  Mayor  Sauvage,  of  Alton, 
Mr.  Steck  being  at  that  time  chairman  of  the  Four-Minute  men.  Dr. 
Avery,  local  chairman  of  the  drive,  had  charge  of  the  meeting  and 
before  introducing  the  speakers  paid  a  tribute  to  the  people  of 
Bethalto  and  vicinity.  He  said  in  part:  "Fellow  Citizens  of 
Bethalto,  this  extraordinary  demonstration  is  a  fully  awakened 
Americanism.  It  is  folly  to  claim  devotion  to  American  ideals  and 
ignore  the  obligations  of  American  citizenship.  A  big  job  has  sum- 
moned you  and  you  are  here  to  accept  individual  responsibility.  I 
am  told  this  is  the  largest  gathering  ever  assembled  in  Bethalto ;  I 
dare  say  it  is  an  hundred  per  cent  audience.  Some  time  in  the  future 
there  will  assemble  here  another  one  hundred  per  cent  audience;  it 
will  be  when  the  boys  come  home.  There  will  be  a  welcoming  crowd 
the  like  of  which  Bethalto  has  never  dreamed  of.  Let  us  hope  it  will 
not  be  far  off. 

This  magnificent  patriotic  endeavor  calls  to  mind  a  story :  An 
old  negress  who  had  been  placed  in  an  insane  asylum  would  stand  at 
a  window  facing  the  street  and  cry  in  a  loud  tone  of  voice,  "I  want  a 
man,  I  want  a  man."  One  day  an  old  darkey  who  had  known  Dinah 
for  many  years  was  standing  on  the  street  not  far  from  Dinah's  win- 
dow when  she  was  repeating  in  usual  fashion  the  pathetic  appeal,  "I 
want  a  man,"  when  an  officer  came  along  and  suggested  that  the  old 
darkey  move  along  and  let  Dinah  alone,  as  she  was  crazy.  At  this 
the  old  darkey  replied :  "I  know  that  Dr.  Smith  said  she  wuz  crazy 
when  he  put  her  in  dar,  but,  white  folks,  she  sho'  am  got  her  right 
mind  now."  If  any  of  our  people  in  the  past  have  lacked  the  spirit 
of  one  hundred  per  cent  Americanism,  if  any  have  been  misinformed, 
if  any  have  shown  any  Pro-German  sympathies,  we  have  unmistake- 
able  evidence  tonight  that  they  are  in  their  right  minds  now. 

14 


"British"  Unterbrink  spoke  earnestly  for  an  hour.  He  told  of 
his  birthplace  in  Germany,  denounced  the  militarists  of  Germany, 
praised  the  Good  Old  U.  S.  He  said  Wilson  tried  to  keep  out  of  war, 
even  turned  one  cheek  and  the  Kaiser  slapped  him,  then  he  turned  the 
other  and  the  Kaiser  slapped  the  other  cheek,  then  Old  Woodrow  said, 
"Look  Out,  Bill,"  and  the  Kaiser  hit  him  square  on  the  nose,  and  then 
V\'ilson  took  off  his  coat,  made  one  great  pass  at  Old  Bill  and  knocked 
him  down ;  and  if  the  Third  Liberty  Loan  proved  a  success  the  Kaiser 
would  never  be  able  to  meet  the  antagonist  face  to  face  again. 

J.  B.  Steck's  speech  was  full  of  patriotism  from  begiiming  to  end ; 
he  defined  the  issues  of  war  and  as  he  was  concluding  his  speech,  he 
held  the  beautiful  little  daughter  of  Tony  Wulf  in  his  arms  and  in 
great  earnestness  asked :  "Would  you  stand  by  and  not  do  your  duty 
if  this  dear  little  girl  should  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Kaiser's  army? 
Let  us  keep  the  Kaiser's  army  on  the  other  side  so  they  cannot  hurt 
any  of  our  people.  The  way  to  do  that  is  to  buy  bonds."  Then  he 
shouted,  "Who  will  be  the  first  red-blooded  American  to  measure  up 
to  this  high  standard  of  citizenship?  Dr.  Avery  has  said  you  are 
an  hundred  per  cent  audience,  and  that  you  are  here  to  do  your  share 
of  the  loan.  Now,  who  will  be  the  first  to  subscribe  for  a  bond?" 
Wm.  H.  Weyen  stepped  to  the  speaker's  stand  and  in  a  moment  Mr. 
Steck  announced  Wm.  H.  Weyen  the  first  subscriber  to  the  Third 
Liberty  Loan.  The  subscriptions  began  to  come  in  so  fast  Dr.  Avery 
asked  J.  W.  McCracken  and  W.  H.  Duffy  to  assist  the  committee  in 
taking  subscriptions.      $11,500  was  subscribed  at  this  meeting. 

]\Iayor  Sauvage  of  Alton,  had  told  Dr.  Avery  his  throat  was  in 
bad  condition  and  he  would  be  unable  to  speak,  but  he  finally  became  so 
enthused  at  the  clever  way  Mr.  Steck  had  selling  bonds  that  he  forgot 
about  his  sore  throat  and  said  he  wanted  in  the  game,  and  he  began  to 
speak.  The  crowd  paid  strict  attention,  as  his  speech  fit  the  occasion, 
and  rounded  out  in  full  pleasure  the  success  of  the  Third  Liberty  Loan. 

The  chairman  at  the  close  thanked  all  who  had  participated  in 
the  parade  and  the  meeting,  especially  the  band  and  the  speakers,  and 
placed  emphasis  on  the  committee  of  workers.  Prof.  R.  N.  File  and 
Rev.  Bruegmann,  whose  splendid  efforts  had  promoted  the  Third 
Liberty  Loan  to  a  satisfactory  conclusion.  Ed.  Balster  then  presented 
a  straw  man  labeled  "The  Kaiser,"  and  set  fire  to  same,  and  the  crowd 
shouted  its  approval.  The  editor  of  the  Alton  Times  was  present  and 
the  next  issue  of  said  publication  credited  this  meeting  as  the  greatest 
patriotic  demonstration  in  any  of  the  loan  campaigns  he  had  observed 
according  to  population  and  wealth. 

The  Fourth  Liberty  Loan  was  easily  subscribed  and  Bethalto 

15 


went  over  the  top  with  a  whoop.  The  Lutheran  congregation  sub- 
scribed $12,000  one  Sunday  morning.  The  ladies  were  well  organized 
to  assist  in  this  campaign.  Mrs.  Claude  Avery  was  named  chairman 
of  the  Women's  Committee  of  Workers,  and  she  selected  the  follow- 
ing workers :  ]\Irs.  Theo.  Prehn,  Mrs.  Ed.  Westhoff,  Mrs.  Fred 
Oetken,  Mrs.  Wheeler  Morgan,  Mrs.  John  Klein,  Louise  Bruns,  Doris 
Bruns,  Mrs.  Laura  Spencer,  Alta  Mae  Klein,  Delia  McDonald,  Hazel 
Zimmermann,  Bella  McCracken,  Ada  Elliott,  Eva  Elliott,  Luna  Bow- 
man, Minnie  Bowman,  Dollie  Young,  Flora  Kehne  and  Mayme  Klop- 
meyer. 

A  speaking  was  arranged  at  the  close  of  the  campaign,  and  J.  H. 
Chessen,  chairman  of  Wood  River  Township,  was  introduced,  and 
after  a  short  speech  introduced  D.  R.  Maxey,  chairman  of  speakers, 
who  took  charge  of  the  meeting.  Attorney  Burroughs,  of  Edwards- 
ville,  was  introduced  and  appealed  to  the  audience  to  buy  more  bonds. 
E.  E.  Campbell,  of  Alton,  was  introduced  and  according  to  the  view  of 
our  local  chairman,  Campbell's  address  was  the  most  masterful  appeal 
of  Americanism  that  had  been  heard  in  Bethalto.  His  voice  was 
clear  and  audible  to  all  present.  This  speech  was  not  only  beautiful 
like  the  work  of  an  artist,  his  oratory  and  rhetoric  perfect,  but  the 
work  of  a  literary  sculptor,  as  its  impress  will  live  with  the  memory 
of  those  who  heard  him. 

Geo.  A.  Klein,  publicity  man  in  each  of  the  liberty  loan  cam- 
paigns, had  arranged  in  the  Fourth  Liberty  Loan  to  have  an  aeroplane 
alight  one-half  mile  south  of  Bethalto  on  the  Oscar  Sander's  farm. 
Fully  5000  people  from  Bethalto,  Alton,  East  x\lton,  Wood  River,  Fos- 
terburg*  and  Moro  were  present.  While  the  crowd  was  anxiously 
waiting,  Mr.  G.  A.  Klein  received  a  telegram  that  the  aviation  field 
from  whence  the  plane  had  been  promised  was  now  under  quarantine 
on  account  of  influenza.  Dr.  Avery,  chairman  of  the  drive,  had 
charge  of  the  meeting  and  asked  the  crowd  to  remain  and  listen  to 
Attorney  Meriwether  of  Alton,  who  had  a  son  in  the  service,  and  the 
crowd  paid  strict  attention  while  Mr.  Meriwether  spoke  and  they 
greeted  him  with  cheers  at  the  close. 

The  Fifth  Loan  or  Victory  Liberty  Loan  was  the  most  difficult 
to  go  over  the  top.  Dr.  Avery,  local  chairman,  named  the  following 
committee  of  workers :  Prof.  R.  N.  File,  Rev.  S.  C.  Lackey,  J.  V. 
Apple,  John  Renken,  Elmer  Neunaber,  Luna  Bowman,  Minnie  Bow- 
man, Bella  McCracken,  Mrs.  Theo.  Prehn,  Dollie  Young,  Pearl  Zim- 
mermann, Alta  Mae  Klein,  Wyona  Rotsch,  Ada  Elliott,  and  Eva  El- 
liott. Early  in  the  campaign  a  parade  was  arranged  similar  to  the 
one  in  the  Third  Liberty  Loan ;  however,  this  demonstration  did  not 
prove  the  success  the  one  in  the  Third  Liberty  Loan  had.      After  the 

16 


marchers  in  the  parade  had  been  halted  in  front  of  the  speakers'  stand 
across  the  street  from  Wm.  H.  Weyen's  barber  shop,  Dr.  Avery  intro- 
duced Sergeant-Major  Leslie  Prehn,  a  Bethalto  boy  who  had  been 
overseas.  He  gave  an  interesting  narrative  of  life  in  camps  and  the 
trip  across.  Then  Dr.  Avery  announced  another  speaker.  In  intro- 
ducing him  he  said  in  part :  "The  fight  of  the  American  Marines  at 
Chateau  Thierry  and  Belleau  Wood,  their  attack  upon  superior  forces, 
their  final  victory  and  their  tremendous  loss  in  proportion  to  their 
number,  stands  unequaled  in  the  annals  of  warfare.  Other  desperate 
attacks  have  been  made  in  many  wars,  and  other  fighting  forces  have 
lost  as  heavily,  but  never  with  victory  crowning  the  red  sacrifice. 
Pickett's  charge  at  Gettysburg,  the  onrush  of  the  Federals  at  Fred- 
erickburg,  the  assault  of  Lee's  Legion  at  Malvern  Hill,  the  charge  of 
the  Light  Brigade, — such  terrific  efforts  won  undying  fame,  but  failed 
of  the  objective ;  torn  to  fragments,  beaten  down,  the  attacking  troops 
retreated  defeated.  The  Marines  at  Chateau  Thierry  and  Belleau 
\^''ood  lost  more  than  three-fourths  of  their  effective,  but  they  won. 
Out  of  8,000  Americans  engaged,  6200  were  struck  down.  This  battle 
stands  unrivaled  as  to  carnage  and  glorious  success,  for  the  destiny 
of  the  world  hinged  upon  its  final  outcome.  It  was  there  the 
"Fritzies"  learned  the  Americans  could  fight.  I  count  it  a  privilege 
and  honor  to  present  to  you  one  of  Bethalto's  heroes  of  Belleau  Wood, 
who  bears  honor  wounds  from  battles  after  going  through  the  Belleau 
fight  unscathed,  Private  Elmer  Olthoff  of  the  Marine  Corps.  He  will 
tell  in  language  of  a  poet  his  story  of  service  in  the  war.  We  are 
anxious  for  every  word  you  have  to  say."  After  Elmer  Olthoff  had 
recited  two  poems  (found  elsewhere  in  this  book),  he  stepped  back 
and  begged  off  while  the  crowd  cheered. 

J.  B.  Steck,  chairman  of  the  Alton  Metropolitan  district,  was  next 
speaker  and  before  he  had  spoken  ten  minutes  it  began  to  rain  and  the 
crowd  dispersed.  Mr.  Steck  called  to  Ted  Zimmermann,  a  bugler  of 
the  327th  F.  A.  who  had  been  overseas,  to  blow  bugle  calls  incident  to 
army  life.  The  crowd  huddled  together  in  front  of  Klein's  store  until 
Ted  had  blowed  the  last  call,  then  they  began  to  disperse.  So  far  as 
the  sale  of  bonds  was  concerned  this  occasion  was  a  failure,  but  both 
chairmen  held  it  paved  the  way  to  final  victory. 

On  the  last  night  of  the  drive  Gilson  Brown  and  W.  P.  Boynton, 
of  Alton,  made  stirring  speeches  urging  the  sale  of  bonds.  Up  until 
this  late  hour  the  chairman  reported  the  sale  of  only  35  per  cent  of 
Bethalto's  quota.  By  introducing  Mr.  Steck,  Dr.  Avery  created  an 
outburst  of  laughter  with  the  crowd.  He  said  in  part:  "It  is  with 
varied  emotions  I  appear  before  you  to  introduce  the  one  who  needs 
no  introduction  in  Bethalto;  you  have  listened  to  two  of  the  greatest 

17 


speakers  within  the  confines  of  Illinois.  In  arranging  this  meeting, 
one  little  girl  among  the  school  children  asked  with  great  earnestness, 
'Aren't  you  going  to  have  Mr.  Steck  that  night?'  I  informed  her  that 
he  had  been  urged  to  be  here  but  in  all  probability  could  not  attend ; 
at  my  statement  her  expression  changed  and  seemed  to  be  one  of  keen 
disappointment,  and  she  answered,  'O,  I  hope  you  can,  for  I'm  just 
crazy  about  Mr.  Steck.'  Mr.  Steck  is  going  to  lead  us  to  victory,  and 
Bethalto's  slogan  in  this  campaign  is  'I  want  to  be  counted  as  a  sub- 
scriber to  the  Victory  Loan?" 

Mr.  Steck  was  tired  and  worn  from  hard  work  of  directing  the 
campaign,  but  he  started  his  appeal  with  optimism.  He  reviewed  the 
many  pleasant  meetings  in  which  he  had  participated  in  Bethalto.  He 
spoke  of  Alton  going  over  the  top,  and  then  pleaded  for  the  first  vol- 
unteer to  subscribe  $1,000. 

G.  A.  Klein  handed  in  a  card  subscribing  $1500,  and  Chas.  Humm 
and  John  C.  Neunaber  tried  to  see  who  would  be  first,  as  each  was  ask- 
ing permission  to  sign  a  card  for  a  $1000  bond.  Soon  the  quota  was 
nearly  subscribed  and  but  one  hundred  dollars  was  needed  to  make  the 
quota  of  $18,000  complete,  when  some  one  in  the  crowd  said,  "I'll  finish 
the  job,  here's  my  subscription  for  another  hundred." 

As  the  quota  was  reached,  Mr.  Steck  presented  Dr.  Avery  with  a 
German  helmet  for  his  efforts  in  the  drive,  congratulated  Bethalto  on 
its  patriotism,  thanked  the  crowd  for  their  good  behavior,  the  band  for 
the  music,  the  school  children  for  their  enthusiasm,  and  Bethalto  and 
vicinity  for  never  doing  anything  by  halves. 


18 


CAUSES  OF  THE  WORLD  WAR 

HE  horrors  of  war  are  over ;  peace  is  here.  These  words  are 
thrilling  to  those  who  have  gone  through  misery  and  fire.  It 
seems  like  some  horrible  nightmare,  and  there  is  no  time  even 
now  to  reflect,  for  the  forward  movement  must  go  on  until 
the  last  vestige  of  ruin  and  crime  are  forever  lost  to  the 
human  race.  And  now  we  ask,  why  was  all  this?  Moderate 
language  cannot  express  it,  words  cannot  therefore  be  suitably  placed 
to  give  a  clear  conception  of  the  real  causes  of  the  war ;  the  writer  will 
therefore  endeavor  to  put  down  a  few  cold  facts  and  leave  the  reader 
to  judge  for  himself.  Wars  have  been  many  since  the  creation  of 
man,  and  there  will  be  more  wars  unless  the  world  has  learned  the 
meaning  of  the  word  "fellow  man."  Our  country  has  been  at  war 
with  different  nations  and  the  principal  causes  will  be  briefly  related 
in  order  to  give  the  reader  an  idea  of  why  we  go  to  war. 

This  country  was  first  settled  by  a  liberty-loving  people  and  the 
principles  of  liberty  have  been  upheld  by  her  institutions.  When  the 
King  of  England  began  to  oppress  his  subjects  in  America  in  1775, 
feeling  against  the  oppressor  was  aroused  to  such  an  extent  that  they 
took  up  arms  against  the  tyrant  and  through  sheer  determination 
forced  the  king  to  acknowledge  our  freedom.  "Don't  tread  on  me" 
was  the  motto  displayed  on  our  flags  until  the  "Stars  and  Stripes" 
was  finally  adopted  by  our  Congress.  Freedom  of  the  Seas  was  set- 
tled by  us  in  1812 ;  freedom  of  mankind  regardless  of  race  or  color 
was- settled  in  1863;  and  the  right  of  mankind  was  settled  when  we 
forced  the  tyrannical  government  from  Cuba,  although  not  our  terri- 
tory. Thus  Freedom  has  become  our  watchword,  and  in  order  for 
one  free  people  to  retain  her  liberty  she  must  be  in  harmony  and 
sympathy  with  all  free  peoples  on  earth.  The  truest  words  of 
Americanism  were  expressed  by  Patrick  Henry  when  he  said,  "Give 
me  Liberty  or  give  me  Death."  His  spirit  still  survives  in  all  loyal 
Americans. 

On  account  of  the  great  percentage  of  illiterates  in  Europe  it  is 
easy  for  one  class  of  people  to  domineer  over  another,  and  we  find 
most  of  the  horrible  crimes  due  to  a  spirit  of  hatred  caused  by  ignor- 
ance and  illiteracy.  An  ignorant  nation  cannot  long  exist  without 
crime,  revolution  or  war ;  and  to  avoid  crime  or  overthrow  of  govern- 
ment, the  people  are  often  induced  to  become  a  unit  in  throwing  their 
hatred  toward  some  other  nation  thus  keeping  down  a  rebellion  in 
their  own  country.       And  in  most  European  countries  where  ignor- 

19 


ance  is  complete  it  was  always  the  rule  to  have  mourning  in  the  land 
to  keep  the  subjects  from  asserting  their  freedom.  Thus  we  come 
to  the  root  of  all  wars,  namely,  Freedom  versus  aggression. 

Much  can  be  written  about  the  causes  of  wars,  but  the  one  answer 
is  Aggression  or  Liberty.  We  will  briefly  enumerate  a  few  of  the 
aggressive  acts  that  led  us  to  war  with  Germany.  The  United  States 
remained  neutral  a  long  time  after  war  was  waged  between  the  differ- 
ent  nations,  and  many  acts  were  perpetrated  that  aroused  our  ire,  but 
we  held  our  temper.  Long  before  1914  everything  was  in  readiness 
for  aggression.  The  great  aim  was  for  territorial,  political  and  mili- 
tary predominance  for  Germany,  and  it  needed  but  a  pretense  to  start 
the  game  in  earnest.  It  came  on  the  28th  day  of  June,  1914,  when  the 
Austrian  Archduke  was  slain  at  Sarajevo.  Soon  Germany  was  into 
it  and  by  the  second  of  August  Germany  was  invading  Belgium,  a 
neutral  country.  Different  sections  of  Germany  and  other  countries 
had  been  invaded  by  the  French  and  other  European  peoples  during 
the  Napoleonic  times.  The  truth  about  the  matter  is,  nearly  every 
nation  since  the  time  America  was  discovered  held  to  the  rule  that 
invasion  of  another's  domain  was  nothing  more  than  right  if  it  could 
be  done,  and  the  people  becoming  wealthy  by  such  acts  gave  consent. 
When  Prussia  stole  Hanover  in  1866  all  those  who  considered  it  a 
wrong,  emigrated  either  to  America  or  other  free  countries.  Those 
who  remained  were  no  better  than  Prussians ;  but  since  those  days  a 
new  idea  has  permeated  the  minds  of  many  peoples  and  that  is  free- 
dom for  all  and  acts  of  aggression  for  none. 

The  invasion  of  Belgium  at  once  stirred  the  minds  of  free  peo- 
ples ;  next  in  order  came  the  air  raids,  killing  many  defenseless  women 
and  children ;  followed  quickly  the  next  year  were  the  piratical  and 
pillaging  acts  by  German  submarines  and  cruisers ;  then  came  the  hor- 
rors of  asphyxiating  gas ;  but  when  the  Cunard  line  steamship  "Lusi- 
tania"  was  sunk  with  1154  lives  lost,  of  which  114  were  Americans, 
our  blood  began  to  flow  more  rapidly.  On  August  19th  the  "Arabic" 
was  sunk  by  a  submarine,  and  among  the  16  victims  2  were  Americans. 
On  the  12th  of  October  Edith  Cavell  was  executed,  thus  creating  more 
and  more  ill-feeling  toward  the  perpetrators  of  such  crimes. 

On  February  10th,  1916,  Germany  sent  notice  to  all  neutral  pow- 
ers that  "armed  merchant  ships  will  be  treated  as  warships  and  will  be 
sunk  without  warning."  Within  a  year  after  that  notice,  Germany 
announced  unrestricted  submarine  warfare  in  specified  zones.  The 
question  of  Freedom  of  the  Seas  had  been  settled  by  our  nation  more 
than  a  hundred  years  before  this,  and  the  feeling  that  had  once  been 
expressed  by  the  motto,  "Don't  tread  on  me"  once  more  became  pre- 
dominant, causing  President  Wilson  in  behalf  of  the  greatest  free  peo- 

20 


pie  on  earth  to  express  himself  in  the  following-  terms.  In  his 
message  to  Congress  April  2,  1917,  he  said  in  part :  We  are  accepting 
this  challenge  of  hostile  purpose  because  we  know  that  in  such  a  gov- 
ernment, following  such  methods,  we  can  never  have  a  friend ;  there 
can  be  no  assured  security  for  the  democratic  governments  of  the 
world.  We  are  glad  now  that  we  see  the  facts  with  no  veil  of  false 
pretense  about  them,  to  fight  thus  for  the  ultimate  peace  of  the  world 
and  for  the  liberation  of  its  peoples,  the  German  peoples  included ;  for 
the  rights  of  nations  great  or  small,  and  the  privilege  of  men  every- 
where to  choose  their  way  of  life  and  obedience.  The  world  must 
be  made  safe  for  democracy.  We  are  but  one  of  the  champions  of 
the  rights  of  mankind.  We  shall  be  satisfied  when  those  rights  have 
been  made  as  secure  as  the  faith  and  the  freedom  of  nations  can  make 
them. 

Just  four  days  after  the  delivery  of  Wilson's  famous  speech  Con- 
gress, on  the  6th  of  April,  1917,  declared  war  on  Germany,  settling  the 
question  forever  whether  free  peoples  shall  remain  free. 


21 


Bethalto  Branch 
American  Red  Cross 

SK  a  soldier,  what  the  American  Red  Cross  has  ever  done  for 
him,  and  he  will  tell  you  in  words  pure  and  simple  that  the 
American  Red  Cross  was  the  real  soul  of  the  army.  Read 
this  book  and  you  will  find  that  it  contained  laborers,  both 
women  and  men,  who  gave  up  everything  to  serve  mankind, 
to  serve  humanity ;  that  nothing  was  more  nobly  done  and  so  freely 
given  than  that  given  by  the  American  Red  Cross.  Their  praise  has 
been  sounded  by  so  many  of  our  returned  soldiers  that  this  book 
would  not  be  complete  without  a  chapter  on  this  subject.  Not  only 
was  the  work  nobly  done  by  those  in  actual  service,  but  also  by  those 
at  home ;  it  was  unselfish  and  pure,  and  produced  a  feeling  that  will 
live  forever.  This  is  an  organization  that  knows  not  race,  color,  re- 
ligion or  creed.  If  any  person  has  ever  been  blessed  it  is  the  Red 
Cross  nurse  or  the  Red  Cross  worker. 

The  loyal  spirit  of  Bethalto  was  manifested  shortly  after  the  war 
broke  out,  and  a  few  of  Our  Boys  had  hardly  reached  camp  when  the 
Bethalto  Branch  of  the  American  Red  Cross  was  organized.  A  meet- 
ing was  called  at  the  Bethalto  Village  Hall  and  the  organization  was 
brought  to  life  by  Mrs.  Barnsback,  of  Edwardsville,  chairman  of  the 
Madison  County  Chapter.  The  organization  was  effected  on  the 
11th  of  October,  1917,  and  the  following  officers  were  appointed: 
Mrs.  Jennie  Klein,  chairman ;  Mrs.  Lillie  Oetken,  treasurer ;  and  Miss 
Alta  Mae  Klein,  secretary.  The  organization  became  known  as  Unit 
No.  11. 

From  the  time  the  organization  went  into  effect  to  the  close  of  the 
war  the  members  made  an  untiring  effort  to  do  all  that  was  in  their 
power  to  assist  in  the  noble  cause,  and  by  the  end  of  the  year  49  mem- 
bers had  been  enrolled.  Thirty  young  men  had  entered  the  service 
from  Bethalto  and  vicinity,  and  a  service  flag  was  made  containing  30 
stars.  The  work  went  steadily  forward ;  sweaters,  scarfs,  socks  and 
bandages  were  made.  Zeal  was  put  into  the  work,  suppers  were 
served,  and  money  raised  for  the  cause. 

At  the  first  meeting  in  January,  1918,  a  change  was  made  in  the 
treasureship,  and  Miss  Louise  Bruns  was  elected  treasurer,  who  with 
Mrs.  Jennie  Klein  as  president,  and  Miss  Alta  Mae  Klein  as  secretary, 
became  the  permanent  officers  and  served  diligently  throughout  the 
entire  time.      By  the  end  of  January  137  members  had  been  enrolled 

22 


and  by  the  end  of  another  month  the  total  membership  had  reached 
249,  and  by  the  end  of  May,  1918,  it  reached  335. 

A  Christmas  roll  call  was  made  and  61  members  responded  with 
donations.  A  great  deal  of  money  was  raised,  many  a  bandage  had 
been  made,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  shortage  of  material  a  great 
deal  more  could  have  been  done.  The  cause  was  great  and  the  good 
will  of  the  members  with  their  staunch  and  persistent  officers  made 
Bethalto  Branch  Unit  No.  11,  American  Red  Cross,  one  of  the  best  in 
the  county.  When  a  proper  and  unselfish  spirit  is  aroused  in  Bethalto 
there  is  no  place  on  earth  more  blessed  than  Our  Old  Home  Town. 


23 


MARTIAL  AIRS 

HE  spirit  of  a  nation  is  her  music  and  song;  it  expresses  her 
feelings  that  can  be  made  clear  in  no  other  form ;  it  gives  vent 
to  emotions  that  leave  no  doubt  in  the  minds  of  her  citizens. 
From  the  time  our  nation  was  born  July  4,  1776,  up  to  the 
present  time  no  nation  on  earth  has  passed  through  a  series 
of  such  deep  and  grateful  feelings  as  has  our  beloved  country.  Every 
song  that  was  ever  sung  shows  that  spirit  of  confidence,  gratitude  and 
enthusiasm.  Popular  music  soon  found  words  to  fit  the  occasions, 
and  popular  verses  soon  found  music  appropriate  to  the  times.  The 
jingle  of  Yankee  Doodle  told  plainly  at  the  beginning  of  our  existence 
that  there  was  nothing  to  fear. 

From  1812-1815  when  our  country  was  in  the  throes  of  misery  the 
greatest  of  all  songs  "The  Star  Spangled  Banner"  appeared,  giving 
new  life  to  the  people  still  struggling  for  freedom.  "Home,  Sweet 
Home"  soon  followed  and  producing  a  soothing  effect  upon  the  pop- 
ulace. 

As  time  rolled  on  the  United  States  must  decide  whether  it  should 
be  half  free  and  half  slave  "John  Brown's  Body"  flashed  over  our 
torn  nation ;  but  it  was  soon  replaced  by  the  undying  words  "Mine 
Eyes  have  seen  the  Glory  of  the  Coming  of  the  Lord,"  followed  quick- 
ly by  such  songs  as  "Yes,  We'll  Rally  'round  the  Flag,"  "The  Carrier 
Dove,"  "Tenting  on  the  Old  Camp  Ground,"  "Tramp,  Tramp,  Tramp, 
the  Boys  are  Marching,"  "Marching  Through  Georgia,"  and  "When 
Johnnie  Comes  Marching  Home."  "Down  went  the  battleship  Maine" 
produced  a  stir  for  a  time  during  the  Spanish-American  war.  "Good- 
bye, My  Bluebell,"  "Break  the  News  to  Mother,"  and  others  were  sung 
during  this  time  ;  but  of  all  songs  that  produced  enthusiasm,  none  were 
more  appropriate  than  those  that  were  sung  during  the  Great  World 
War,  and  a  few  may  be  mentioned  in  this  connection. 

The  song  "I  Did  Not  Raise  My  Boy  to  Be  a  Soldier"  had  but  a 
short  life  for  it  did  not  embody  the  spirit  of  our  nation.  "America, 
Here's  My  Boy"  took  its  place.  No  time  during  the  war  was  there 
a  doubt  about  the  outcome,  for  music  and  song  displayed  no  other 
sign.  A  few  titles  and  a  few  lines  here  and  there  v/ill  bring  the  reader 
back  to  the  exciting,  hopeful,  yet  always  loyal  and  confident  spirit  that 
spread  over  our  land  from  ocean  to  ocean,  from  coast  to  coast.  It  is 
impossible  to  give  preference  to  any  one  song,  therefore  the  writer  will 
endeavor  to  place  a  few  lines  as  they  appeared  to  him. 

24 


"Send  Me  Away  With  a  Smile,"  "The  Kiss  That  Made  Me  Cry," 
"I  May  Be  Gone  for  a  Long,  Long-  Time,"  "Keep  the  Home  Fires 
Burning,"  "If  I  Am  Not  at  the  Roll  Call,"  and  others  are  some  that 
were  sung  by  our  youth  while  the  school  children  sang :  "Over  There," 
"Buy  a  Bond,"  and  "What  x^re  You  Going  to  do  to  Help  the  Boys," 
"There's  a  Service  Flag  Flying  at  our  House," — a  blue  star  in  a  field 
of  red  and  white  is  known  to  all  parents  in  the  land ;  "When  the  Sun 
Goes  Down  in  France,"  "Somewhere  in  France  is  the  Lily,"  "The  Rose 
of  No  Man's  Land,"  were  popular  songs  during  the  time  Our  Boys 
were  making  preparation  "over  here"  and  Our  Boys  were  fighting 
"over  there." 

Later  on  songs  of  a  lighter  nature  such  as  "They  Were  All  Out 
of  Step  But  Jim,"  "Johnnie's  in  Town,"  "How  Are  You  Going  to 
Keep  'Em  Down  on  the  Farm  After  They've  Seen  Paree,"  and  "O 
How  I  Hate  to  Get  Up  in  the  Morning"  appeared ;  but  when  it  was 
seen  that  Our  Boys  were  soon  to  return,  joy  reigned  supreme  and  the 
following  songs  brought  forth  new  life:  "When  That  Old  Boat 
Heads  for  Home — Ploughing  Her  Way  Through  the  Foam."  "After 
the  war  is  Over,  and  the  World's  at  Peace, — Many  a  heart  will  be  ach- 
ing after  the  war  has  ceased — Many  a  home  will  be  vacant,  many  a 
child  be  alone, — But  I  hope  they'll  all  be  happy  in  a  place  called  'Home 
Sweet  Home,'  "  but  the  song  of  all  songs  that  was  sung  by  young  and 
old,  by  father  and  mother,  by  soldier  and  sweetheart,  and  yea,  by  the 
nation  was  "Till  We  Meet  Again,"  and  the  verse  and  music  so  ap- 
propriately arranged  made  it  popular  in  every  home.  The  words  of 
the  chorus  run  thus : 

"Smile  the  while  you  kiss  me  sad  adieu 

When  the  clouds  roll  by  I'll  come  to  you 

Then  the  skies  will  seem  more  blue 

Down  in  lover's  lane,  my  dearie ; 

Wedding  bells  will  ring  so  merrily, 

Every  tear  will  be  a  memory 

So  wait  and  pray  each  night  for  me 

Till  we  meet  again." 
We  know  not  what  songs  may  appear  in  the  future ;  but  we  hope 
and  pray  that  they  will  represent  an  undefiled  spirit  of  Americanism. 


25 


FADING  AWAY 

ADING  away  and  dropping  from  the  ranks  are  the  heroes  of 
the  Civil  War.  This  book  would  not  be  complete  without 
mentioning  those  who  from  Bethalto  and  vicinity  left  their 
homes  a  generation  ago  to  preserve  the  Union.  A  poem 
illustrates  the  thought : 

Oh,  long  years  ago  in  the  Southland 
The  brave  boys  were  standing  the  storm 
Of  shot  and  of  shell  in  its  fury, 
Through  day  and  through  night  until  morn. 
They  were  falling,  falling  one  by  one. 
Dropping  from  the  ranks,  one  by  one. 
On  hillside  and  dell  in  the  Southland 
The  brave  boys  still  rest  where  they  fell ; 
Their  memory  is  dear  to  their  country 
Whose  flag  they  defended  so  well ; 
Ah,  soon  will  the  brave  boys  still  with  us 
Cease  marching  to  sound  of  the  drum 
For  each  year  the  roll  call's  sad  story 
Tells  how  they  are  falling  one  by  one, — 
Dropping  from  the  ranks  one  by  one. 
The  above  poem  tells  a  long  and  wonderful  story ;  it  tells  of  the 
times  in  the  sixties  when  our  nation  was  rent  asunder  on  account  of 
differences  politically  and  economically ;  it  tells  of  the  terrible  strain 
on  the  youth  of  our  land  to  preserve  this  noble  union.      Their  memory 
is  dear  to  Bethalto,  for  that  reason  the  names  of  the  brave  boys  will 
be  mentioned.    The  acts  of  residents  of  Bethalto  in  the  sixties  stood 
parallel  with  the  acts  of  the  residents  of  Bethalto  56  years  later,  and 
as  the  boys  of  the  World's  War  formed  a  union  so  the  returned  sol- 
diers at  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  formed  a  union  and  styled  them- 
selves The  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  or  G.  A.  R. 

It  is  impossible  for  the  writer  to  be  exact  in  his  statements  for 
nothing  is  taken  from  official  records  but  written  from  personal 
knowledge  that  was  acquired  while  living  with  and  among  these  re- 
turned heroes.  The  history  of  Bethalto  failed  to  be  chronicled  at  the 
close  of  the  Civil  War,  therefore  this  chapter  is  short  and  incomplete 
after  a  lapse  of  56  years.  On  the  15th  day  of  May,  President  Lin- 
coln called  for  75,000  volunteers  for  three  months  thinking  the  Re- 
bellion would  be  crushed  in  that  time,  but  this  proved  wrong  later  on. 

26 


When  the  call  came  Bethalto  was  ready  for  the  call  and  many  from 
this  vicinity  responded,  among  whom  were  James  Carr  Clark,  John 
and  James  Fahnenstock,  who  enlisted  in  Co.  I,  9th  Infantry,  at  Cairo, 
and  were  mustered  out  on  the  26th  of  July,  1861.  James  Carr  Clark 
reenlisted  for  the  duration  of  the  war  in  Schofield's  Body-Guard,  a 
Missouri  regiment,  others  from  here  reenlisted  and  by  1862  the  war 
was  on  in  real  earnest,  and  Bethalto  and  vicinity  again  poured  forth  all 
the  power  in  her  veins. 

The  greatest  number  from  here  enlisted  in  Co.  B  and  Co.  K  of  the 
80th  Illinois  Volunteers.  The  80th  was  in  more  than  twenty  battles 
and  stood  great  hardship,  misery,  hunger  and  disease.  The  follow- 
ing from  here  were  in  Co.  B :  Conrad  Flick,  John  S.  Culp,  Irby  Wil- 
liams, Frederick  Gerits,  George  Crawford,  Jim  Wood  and  Calvin 
Wood.  Jim  and  Calvin  Wood  both  in  the  80th  Illinois,  were  prob- 
ably the  first  who  dropped  from  the  ranks.  Jim  fell  while  gallantly 
fighting,  and  Calvin  died  just  before  he  was  discharged. 

Those  in  Co.  K,  80th  Illinois,  were  Henry  Lawrence,  James 
Olliver,  EHas  Preuitt,  Jasper  Dillon,  Richard  Linder  and  John  A. 
Miller. 

Following  are  Bethalto  boys  of  different  companies  and  regiments 
with  whom  the  writer  became  acquainted :  John  Humm,  Co.  B,  29th 
111.  Infantry ;  Ben  Glassmeyer,  Co.  F,  20th  111. ;  Peter  Greenwood,  Co. 
E,  10th  111. ;  John  D.  Elliott,  Co.  C,  151st  111. ;  Germ  Klein,  Co.  D ; 
Wm.  Head,  Co.  F. ;  Wm.  P.  Clark,  Co.  F,  117th  111.;  George  Uzzell, 
77th  111.;  Ed.  Jones,  10th  111.;  Charles  Huether,  Co.  K,  and  August 
Neuhaus,  9th  111. ;  P.  H.  Neuhaus,  59th  111. ;  Henry  Opperman,  Co.  C, 
80th  111. ;  Samuel  Smith,  Co.  D,  14th  111. ;  Erhart  Baehr,  Co.  K.  and 
Dave  Brunton,  Co.  A,  144th  111. ;  William  Gill,  Co.  K,  143rd  111. ;  Henry 
Langhorst,  4th  Mo.  Cavalry ;  John  H.  Johnson  and  Herman  Heuer, 
Co.  B,  First  Mo.  Cavalry;  Bernhard  C.  Meyer,  1st  Sgt.  Co.  B,  26th 
Inf.,  Wisconsin  Vol. ;  Daniel  T.  Kincaid,  Co.  K,  122nd  111.  Inf. ;  Ed- 
ward Plegge,  Co.  C,  3rd  Reg.  Mo.  Vol.  Inf. ;  George  Morgan,  Co.  A, 
144th  Inf.;  Daniel  Bayless,  Co.  K,  144th  111.  Infantry;  Henry  Bow- 
man, Co.  M,  1st  Reg.  Mo.  Vol.  Cavalry. 

The  above  names  show  that  Bethalto  was  equal  to  any  emerg- 
ency. A  number  have  been  omitted,  not  intentionally,  but  that  the 
writer  was  not  acquainted  with  them. 

During  the  Spanish-American  war  several  from  Bethalto  volun- 
teered for  the  service,  among  whom  were  Frank  Johnson,  Troop  D, 
8th  Cavalry,  serving  in  Cuba ;  Fred  Humm  and  Robert  Clark,  Troop 
A,  3rd  Cavalry,  and  serving  in  the  P.  I. ;  Fred  Oetken  and  James  C. 
Clark,  Battery  M.  1st  Reg.,  Coast  Artillery,  and  serving  at  Fort  Cap- 

27 


ton,  Sullivan  Island,  S.  C.     James  Clark  has  already  fallen  from  the 
ranks. 

Special  mention  will  be  made  of  a  few  on  account  of  the  family 
playing  a  part  in  several  wars,  and  serving  Uncle  Sam  in  time  of  need : 
James  Carr  Clark  had  two  sons,  Robert  and  James,  in  the  Spanish- 
American  war,  and  one  grandson,  Carroll  Zimmermann,  in  the  World 
War;  John  H.  Johnson  had  a  son,  Frank,  in  the  Spanish- American 
War,  and  a  grandson,  George  Deist,  in  the  World  War;  John  Humm 
had  a  son,  Fred,  in  the  Spanish-American  War  and  a  son,  George,  in 
the  World  War ;  Edward  Jones  had  two  sons,  Fred  and  Arthur,  in  the 
World  War ;  John  D.  Elliott  had  a  son,  George,  and  four  grandsons, 
Elmer  and  Arthur  Elliott  and  Earl  and  Cecil  Delhanty,  in  the  World 
War ;  Daniel  Bayless  had  two  sons,  George  and  Samuel,  in  the  Civil 
War,  and  one  grandson,  Ed.,  in  the  World  War ;  B.  C.  Meyers  was 
seriously  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  2,  1863 ; 
Henry  Bowman  had  three  grandsons,  Ed.  and  George  Bowman  and 
Frank  Starkey,  in  the  World  War;  Edward  Plegge  had  a  grandson, 
Ed.  Schoenbaum,  in  the  World  War.  This  shows  that  the  quiet, 
peaceful  village  of  Bethalto  does  not  exist  in  vain.  Few  villages  of 
her  size  have  been  her  equal.  No  other  village  on  earth  was  ever 
named  Bethalto  so  let  the  name  be  the  watchword  for  the  battle  of 
human  liberty  that  the  Star  Spangled  Banner  may  wave  unmolested 
over  her  home  and  the  nation. 


28 


OUR  BOYS 

ELMER  T.  OLTHOFF 

Elmer  Olthoff,  son  of  George  and  Wilhelmina  Olthoff,  and  bro- 
ther to  Herman,  whose  description  is  found  in  this  book,  was  born  in 
Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  on  the  first  day  of  August,  1895.  When  he  was 
a  year  old  his  parents  moved  to  Bethalto,  111.,  where  Elmer  was  raised 
and  where  he  received  his  education.  He  went  to  the  Bethalto  schools 
until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  completing  the  eighth  grade  work. 
From  the  time  he  quit  school  he  was  employed  at  the  Western  Cart- 
ridge Company  until  he  finally  succeeded  in  joining  the  U.  S.  Marines, 
December  5th,  1917.  At  the  Western  he  did  almost  any  kind  of  work 
that  was  done  at  the  plant. 

In  1913  he  tried  to  enlist  in  the  U.  S.  Navy,  but  he  failed  in  the 
examination  and  was  rejected.  He  registered  in  June,  1917,  at 
Bethalto,  his  home ;  but  would  not  wait  to  be  called  and  once  more 
tried  to  get  into  the  U.  S.  Navy  and  as  before  failed  to  succeed  on  ac- 
count of  his  weight  not  corresponding  to  his  height.  He  then  went 
to  St.  Louis,  but  the  officers  in  charge  told  him  if  he  had  failed  to  get 
into  the  navy  he  need  not  stop  there,  for  a  man  not  fit  for  the  navy 
surely  was  not  fit  to  be  a  U.  S.  Marine.  Elmer  was  crestfallen,  but 
he  was  determined,  and  from  the  main  recruiting  station  he  went  to 
a  sub-station  situated  somewhere  in  St.  Louis.  The  officer  in  charge 
after  hearing  Elmer's  story  told  him  he  would  do  what  he  could  for 
him.  A  physician  was  called  who  examined  him  and  found  only  his 
weight  barring  him  from  the  Marines.  The  officer  in  charge  of  this 
sub-station  wrote  to  Washington,  D.  C,  for  Elmer,  procured  a  waiver, 
and  he  became  a  Marine  on  the  5th  of  December,  1917. 

He  went  at  once  from  St.  Louis  to  Paris  Island,  on  the  east  coast 
of  South  Carolina,  and  a  part  of  that  State,  landing  the  12th  of  Decem- 
ber; he  was  sworn  in  on  the  14th  and  was  placed  in  the  64th  company 
of  Marines.  The  duties  on  the  island  varied  and  consisted  chiefly  of 
hiking,  drilling  and  bayonet  practice  which  was  of  the  most  intensive 
kind ;  the  object  of  this  intensive  training  was  to  prepare  the  Marines 
for  the  fighting  that  was  before  them.  He  qualified  as  marksman  on 
Paris  Island  in  January,  1918,  making  a  grade  of  229  out  of  300  shots 
— 202  being  the  required  number  for  marksmanship.  Drilling,  shoot- 
ing, hiking,  running,  jumping,  scaling  walls,  jumping  into  and  out  of 
trenches  and  like  preparations  were  made.  The  object  of  these  exer- 
cises was  to  toughen  and  harden  the  boys  for  that  which  lay  before 

29 


them,  and  the  word  intensive  was  putting  it  mildly,  for  little  did  they 
dream  of  the  future.  This  was  kept  up  until  February  20th,  when 
Elmer  with  his  company  left  Paris  Island  for  Quantico,  Va.,  a  training 
camp  for  the  Marines. 

At  Quantico  the  boys  received  instructions  principally  in  trench 
warfare  and  it  was  there  Elmer  qualified  as  sharpshooter,  making  240 
out  of  300,  the  requirement  being  237  out  of  300.  Although  making 
the  required  grade  and  receiving  the  recognition  and  extra  pay  he  did 
not  receive  the  sharpshooter's  pin  from  the  War  Department  until  he 
returned  to  this  country  in  the  spring  of  1919.  He  remained  at  Quan- 
tico until  the  9th  of  March,  when  he  left  camp  for  Philadelphia  to 
cross  the  ocean  for  the  duties  of  a  Marine  in  France.  Although  no 
one  knew  just  where  the  boys  were  to  be  sent  it  was  understood  or  sur- 
mised that  France  was  their  final  destination,  for  no  sooner  had  the 
boys  arrived  at  Quantico  when  the  second  replacement  battalion  was 
formed  and  Elmer  was  placed  in  the  137th  Co.  U.  S.  Marines. 

Ed.  Henkhaus,  whose  description  is  found  in  this  book,  left  St. 
Louis  a  little  later  than  Elmer  and  arrived  at  Paris  Island  soon  after. 
He  met  Ed  several  times  while  they  were  on  Paris  Island.  Ed  was  in 
the  79th  company.  Ed  was  also  placed  in  the  second  replacement 
battalion,  but  in  the  139th  company.  It  thus  happened  that  Ed  and 
Elmer  were  together  a  great  part  of  the  time.  Ed  also  qualified  as 
marksman  on  Paris  Island. 

The  137th,  138th  and  139th  companies  were  consigned  for  over- 
seas duty  and  the  three  companies  left  Quantico  together,  and  sailed 
on  the  same  boat  immediately  after  getting  off  the  train  at  Philadel- 
phia. They  boarded  the  U.  S.  Henderson,  a  transport  exclusively 
used  to  transport  U.  S.  Marines  to  the  various  ports  where  Marines 
were  sent.  This  time  they  left  the  good  old  U.  S.  shore  for  parts 
unknown  to  Our  Boys,  although  headed  straight  for  France.  They 
left  the  docks  at  Philadelphia  on  the  12th  of  March ;  the  trip  across 
was  made  in  14  days.  The  U.  S.  Henderson  was  well  equipped  for 
this  duty  and  though  the  sea  was  very  rough  little  trouble  was  ex- 
perienced on  the  way,  and  the  boys  landed  safely  in  Brest,  France,  on 
the  26th  day  of  March,  1918.  No  seasickness  would  have  been  noticed 
had  it  not  been  for  the  fine  fruits,  chocolates,  and  other  delicacies ; 
that,  however,  put  Elmer  and  others  in  bad  for  several  days.  The 
trip  was  otherwise  uneventful  and  but  one  submarine  was  sighted  and 
it  disappeared  after  tv/o  shots  were  fired  at  it;  for  it  dived  and  was 
seen  no  more. 

The  three  companies  were  under  the  command  of  Major  Snider; 
the  137th  was  under  the  command  of  Capt.  Martin,  Lieutenants  Mou- 

30 


tague,  Duncan  and  Piatt.  As  soon  as  they  landed  at  Brest  they  were 
marched  to  the  famous  Napoleon  Barracks,  about  three  miles  away, 
which  at  this  time  consisted  of  the  old  prison  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte 
and  built  before  the  battle  of  Waterloo.  This  old  prison  was  used 
at  this  time  as  a  receiving  camp ;  only  a  few  barracks  were  built 
around  the  prison  and  the  old  wall  was  still  standing.  On  account 
of  the  smallness  of  the  camp  the  three  companies  remained  there  only 
a  day  and  a  night  and  after  they  had  been  served  with  a  little  coffee, 
hardtack  and  corn  beef  it  appeared  to  the  boys  that  food  became  pain- 
fully noticeable.  This  Napoleon  Barracks  was  afterward  enlarged  to 
such  an  extent  that  upon  Elmer's  return  it  was  almost  ten  miles  long. 
This  camp  later  on  became  known  as  the  mud  camp  on  account  of  the 
rains  and  mud ;  it  was  made  more  famous  on  account  of  the  "Brest 
Scandal." 

This  camp  consisted  of  few  barracks  and  no  drill  grounds ;  when 
the  three  companies  arrived  it  could  not  be  called  a  camp  for  it  was 
too  small  to  accommodate  these  companies  for  more  than  one  night,  so 
they  left  the  next  morning,  marched  back  to  Brest  and  immediately 
boarded  the  trains  for  somewhere  in  France.. 

After  about  a  week's  travel  on  the  train  they  stopped  at  a  place 
called  Cham-Pla,  reaching  this  place  April  3rd.  Elmer  was  going 
eastward  into  France  about  the  same  time  the  Germans  were  making 
their  first  great  drive  westward  in  France.  The  boys  stopped  at 
Cham-Pla  only  four  days,  long  enough  to  rest  up  a  little,  for  there 
were  no  barracks  nor  tents  there  and  the  boys  had  to  put  up  in  billets. 
These  billets  consisted  of  barns,  sheds,  chicken-houses  and  the  like ; 
Elmer  having  the  good  fortune  to  find  a  hayloft.  Only  one  small 
barracks  was  built  and  it  was  used  for  a  kitchen  and  was  left  for 
future  new-comers  who  were  soon  to  follow. 

On  the  7th  of  April  they  left  Cham-Pla  for  Cou-Blanc,  hiking  this 
distance  and  reaching  this  place  in  the  evening.  Here  again  Elmer 
was  lucky  in  being  able  to  call  a  hayloft  his  billet.  This  village  be- 
came memorable  for  Elmer,  for  it  was  here  the  boys  climbed  a  high 
mountain  every  morning  and  hiked  around  it  every  day.  They  had 
rifle  practice  on  a  little  range  the  boys  made ;  here  they  learned  to 
handle  guns,  etc. ;  bayonet  practice  was  fierce ;  and  here  the  boys  re- 
ceived their  helmets  and  hob-nailed  shoes,  fit  or  no  fit ;  and  after  they 
had  received  instructions  in  gas  drills  the  companies  split  up  to  go 
farther  east  and  to  different  sectors  where  American  Marines  had  met 
with  reverses  and  where  they  had  been  annihilated.  To  these  places 
the  boys  were  sent  to  fill  in  the  gaps  that  had  been  made.  Here  Elmer 
and  Ed.  parted  on  the  19th  of  April,  Ed.  going  to  a  sector  assigned  to 

31 


his  company  and  Elmer  to  go  east  on  the  Verdun  front  to  a  small  town 
about  the  size  of  Bethalto,  by  the  name  of  Somme  Du,  directly  south 
of  the  city  of  Verdun  by  about  ten  miles. 

They  arrived  at  Somme  Du  on  the  21st  of  April,  where  the  5th 
and  6th  regiments  had  been  quite  a  while ;  and  having  lost  nearly  all 
their  officers  and  men  these  new  boys  became  part  of  the  5th  and  6th, 
Elmer  becoming  part  of  the  6th  regiment,  74th  company,  U.  S. 
Marines,  under  the  command  of  good  old  Captain  Burns,  Col.  Catlin 
commanding  the  6th  regiment.  The  9th  and  23rd  infantry  and  the 
5th  and  6th  Marines  comprised  the  Second  Division. 

The  little  town  was  quiet  at  the  time  the  new  men  arrived,  but 
they  had  evidently  been  seen  coming  for  on  the  night  of  the  27th  the 
town  was  heavily  shelled ;  everybody  made  for  their  gas  masks  when 
the  alarm  was  given  and  kept  them  on  until  the  French  officers  notified 
them  there  was  no  gas.  The  shells  fiew  high  and  went  over  the 
Marines,  who  were  located  in  the  east  end  of  the  town,  but  in  the 
west  end  three  "doughboys"  and  many  horses  and  mules  were  killed 
during  this  twenty  minute  bombardment.  Thinking  all  was  over  now 
the  boys  went  back  to  their  bunks  only  to  be  routed  out  again  by  an- 
other shell  fire ;  this  time  the  boys  remained  in  their  dugouts  or  took 
to  the  hills  until  morning  for  the  fire  was  directed  closer  and  the  shells 
tore  up  streets  and  buildings  all  around  them.  Elmer  was  lucky  and 
escaped  unhurt. 

As  stated  before,  the  74th  had  been  almost  completely  wiped  out, 
the  officers  had  either  been  killed,  wounded,  or  gassed ;  the  few  men 
that  were  left  joined  the  new  bunch  under  Captain  Burns  and  Lieu- 
tenant Gargon.  Somme  Du  was  not  to  be  used  as  a  battlefield,  but 
for  a  replacing  station,  where  they  drilled  and  practiced  with  their 
rifles  until  the  9th  of  May,  when  orders  were  given  to  travel  west. 
Leaving  Somme  Du  in  trucks  they  traveled  three  days  and  three 
nights,  reaching  Outre  Pont  on  the  12th,  where  they  received  two 
months'  pay  and  where  a  glorious  time  was  had  while  it  lasted.  On 
the  19th  of  May  they  left  Outre  Pont  and  marched  to  Vitre,  a  railroad 
center,  boarded  a  train  that  went  west ;  they  went  through  Paris, 
thence  north  to  a  town  named  Isle  of  Adam. 

Nearly  every  soldier  has  described  one  or  more  hikes  in  this  book  ; 
here  came  Elmer's  memorable  hike.  The  town  of  Marines  was  al- 
most twenty  miles  away ;  here  the  Marines  had  to  go  afoot — weather 
of  the  hottest  summer  kind ;  a  rifle,  helmet,  machine  gun  ammunition, 
besides  a  heavy  pack ;  they  wore  fit-or-no-fit  hobnailed  shoes  and  new 
at  that ;  yet  the  town  had  to  be  made.  The  result  was  officers  and 
men  alike  fell  by  the  wayside  and  had  to  be  hauled  by  the  truckload 

32 


ELMER   T.   OLTHOFF 

74th  Co.,  6th  Reg.,  U.S.  Marines 


WALTER   C.    WULF 
U.  S.  Marine  Corps 


HENRY  E.  HENKHAUS 

Deceased  I 
75th  Co.,  5th  Reg.,  U.S.  Marines 


ANDREW  SANDERS 

1st  Marine  Aviation  Corps 


ELMER  A.  ELLIOTT 

Fireman,   U.  S.  S.  N.  T.  S. 


FREDERICK   D.   OBERMILLER 

L.  M.  M.  A.,  U.  S.  N.  R.  F.-5 


ELMER  O.  SCHOENEWEIS 

U.  S.  N.  R.  F. 


EDWARD  D.  BAYLESS 
Co.  E,  12th  Engineers 


to  the  auxiliary  hospital  at  Marines,  which  was  soon  full  of  patients. 
Great  pluck  was  shown  here  and  nobody  rode  unless  he  was  picked  up 
by  the  roadside.  This  25th  day  of  May  is  counted  as  another 
preparatory  time  for  .that  which  lay  before  them.  Elmer  remained  in 
the  hospital  about  a  week ;  many  however,  remained  a  month,  and 
some  had  to  be  sent  to  other  hospitals. 

Their  division  was  stationed  about  thirty  miles  north  of  Marines, 
and  Elmer  with  others  went  there  in  trucks.  They  were  scattered 
around  in  small  towns ;  it  was  in  one  of  these  towns  that  Elmer  met 
Ed.  Bowman  and  John  Wiedmer  for  the  first  time  in  France,  this  being 
on  Decoration  Day.  Although  Ed.  Henkhaus  was  near,  Elmer  had 
no  chance  to  see  him,  Ed.  belonging  to  the  5th  regiment. 

That  night  word  was  received  that  the  Germans  were  breaking 
through  at  Chateau  Thierry  and  orders  were  given  to  send  the  Marines 
there  at  once  to  stop  the  drive.  They  started  for  Chateau  Thierry  on 
the  first  day  of  June.  On  their  way  the  Marines  met  objects  that  put 
"pep"  into  them  ;  old  and  young  alike  were  seen  fleeing  from  their 
homes,  the  scenes  were  pitiful  to  behold ;  for  miles  and  miles  they 
could  be  seen  with  their  belongings,  some  had  carts  pulled  by  dogs, 
cows,  oxen  or  even  women  and  children,  no  men  excepting  old  and 
crippled,  for  the  men  were  all  on  the  firing  line.  Major  Hughes  took 
charge  when  they  went  to  Belleau  Wood.  Finally  the  test  came  when 
they  were  met  by  French  soldiers  and  officers  also  retreating,  who  told 
our  Marine  officers  that  nothing  could  be  done  to  stem  the  tide ;  it 
was  not  necessary  to  go  ahead  for  the  Germans  were  already  coming 
out  of  Belleau  Wood  and  occupied  Lucy,  a  small  town  a  little  west  of 
Chateau  Thierry ;  but  our  American  Marine  officers  had  assumed  a 
different  idea  about  going  back  by  this  time,  for  "Pluck"  was  the 
name  of  each  officer  in  the  regiment  and  they  told  the  French  officers 
there  was  no  such  expression  as  "Fall  Back"  in  the  Marine  history, 
and  no  such  word  as  "Retreat"  in  the  Marine  dictionary. 

On  they  went  to  a  small  wood  near  Belleau  Wood  on  the  Paris- 
Metz  road  and  formed  line  on  this  road ;  they  reached  the  town  of 
Lucy  about  4  p.  m.,  just  before  the  Germans  got  there ;  but  the  Ger- 
man planes  had  discovered  them  and  shortly  afterward  they  started 
shelling  the  little  town  something  awful  from  the  wood  only  about  a 
half  mile  away.  The  boys  made  for  the  cellars,  the  engineers  dug 
trenches  between  the  town  and  the  wood.  The  Germans  continued 
to  throw  shells  into  the  town.  The  Marines  had  no  planes  and  no 
artillery  to  support  them,  but  they  had  pluck,  and  lay  quiet  on  the 
ground  when  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the  night  the  Germans  started 
from  the  wood  but  the  fire  of  the  rifles  of  the  Marines  was  something 

33 


fierce — such  shooting — Ehner  having  a  share  in  the  fray.  The  result 
was  the  Germans  did  not  get  far  out  of  Belleau  Wood.  The  Marines 
remained  there  all  night  and  the  next  morning  they  went  back  to 
Lucy,  leaving  the  sentries  there.  The  next  day  the  Germans  again 
shelled  the  town  incessantly.  When  one  barn  was  shot  away  another 
was  found.  Thus  the  day  passed.  The  next  night  they  occupied  a 
position  behind  a  stone  wall ;  some  dug  trenches  north  of  Lucy.  These 
locations  were  not  expected  by  the  Germans  and  when  they  reappeared 
the  third  day  the  guns  of  the  Marines  played  havoc  with  the  Ger- 
mans, who  could  not  stand  the  withering  fire ;  it  was  then  that  the 
first  American  Artillery  was  heard.  They  poured  shells  into  the 
edge  of  the  wood  which  produced  such  heart-rending  cries  and  moans 
that  whoever  heard  them  can  never  forget. 

During  these  trying  hours  a  great  deal  of  gas  had  been  shot,  and 
to  have  on  a  gas  mask  so  long  breathing  through  the  mouth  during 
hot  summer  hours  was  hard  to  bear.  Digging  in  through  the  dead 
of  night  and  upon  break  of  day  find  that  you  have  had  four  mutilated 
French  keeping  silent  watch  over  you,  or  meeting  Germans  face  to 
face  during  the  intensive  stillness,  need  not  be  commented  upon  here. 
Sufficient  to  know  in  this  connection  that  only  a  fractional  part  of 
Elmer's  story  can  be  told  here.  It  is  enough  to  say  that  the  Germans 
never  reached  the  little  town  of  Lucy  a  little  north  of  Chateau  Thierry, 
although  many  Marines  were  wounded  and  several  killed. 

During  these  trying  hours  there  was  one  in  the  company  who  was 
always  watching  and  caring  for  his  men ;  there  was  one  who  would 
never  enter  a  dug-out  or  a  place  of  safety  until  his  men  were  safe ; 
there  was  one  who  was  ever  on  the  alert,  guarding  ever  guarding ; 
there  was  one  who  cautioned  each  one  when  danger  was  near  and 
when  after  a  circuitous  route  our  Marines  had  at  last  succeeded  in  en- 
tering Belleau  Wood  and  the  enemy  discovered  what  had  happened — 
"Hell  sure  turned  loose"  as  Elmer  expressed  it.  The  Germans  were 
thick  in  the  wood,  but  the  only  way  was  for  the  Marines  to  go  in  and 
stay  in.  They  hurriedly  dug  themselves  in,  into  a  ravine;  and  when 
every  soldier  had  been  safely  hid  they  waited  for  firing  to  cease.  When 
at  last  it  was  over  they  came  out  of  their  dug-outs  to  find  that  one  had 
failed  to  get  in ;  he  had  seen  that  every  soldier  was  safe,  and  upon 
seeing  all  were  safe  he  had  tried  to  enter  the  cave  where  they  found 
him  with  both  legs  missing.  This  one,  the  noble  Captain  John  E. 
Burns,  had  given  his  life  to  save  the  lives  of  his  comrades.  He  was 
loved  by  all,  for  not  a  better  nor  braver  man  in  the  whole  United 
States  Marines  could  be  found.  Thus  Captain  Burns  died  while  gal- 
lantly fighting,  although  the  real  fighting  had  just  begun.      He   was 

34 


succeeded  by  Captain  Turner.  Fighting  continued  for  thirty-five 
long  hot  days  and  thirty-five  dreary  nights. 

Ahhough  it  took  thirty-five  days  and  nights  they  succeeded  in 
driving  the  enemy  out  of  Belleau  Wood  and  far  beyond  it,  and  al- 
though no  colors  were  lost  by  the  Marines  many  a  brave  officer  and 
man  bid  farewell  to  his  comrades  during  this  trying  time. 

The  26th  or  National  Guard  Division  entered  the  Wood  and  re- 
lieved the  Marines,  who  were  part  of  the  Second  Division.  The  first 
U.  S.  aeroplane  was  seen  by  Elmer  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  which 
caused  a  gleam  of  hope  to  enter  his  depressed  spirit.  After  being  re- 
lieved they  went  back  to  the  Marne  River,  for  the  Germans  were  re- 
treating all  along  the  line.  A  little  farther  south  at  Chateau  Thierry 
the  Fifth  Marines  had  the  same  kind  of  a  time  that  the  Sixth  had  at 
Belleau  Wood.  After  leaving  the  Marne  the  Sixth  went  to  Villers 
Cotterets  Wood  and  although  "eats"  were  scarce — hardtack  and 
bacon  and  very  little  of  that — shells  were  plentiful,  for  they  were  piled 
high  everywhere. 

From  there  they  went  to  Verzy  where  the  first  tanks  and  armored 
cars  and  French  Cavalry  were  seen.  At  this  time  Elmer  was  made  a 
runner  for  Lieut.  Trainer.  They  were  still  near  the  Germans.  The 
formation  was  French  Cavalry  followed  by  tanks,  and  these  tanks 
were  followed  by  U.  S.  Marines.  The  tanks  had  one  pounders  and 
machine  guns,  but  they  drew  the  enemy's  artillery  fire  and  instead  of 
taking  one  objective  they  took  more ;  so  it  happened  that  when  the 
tanks  were  at  last  disabled  and  the  Marines  coming  up  to  the  tanks, 
they,  instead  of  tanks,  had  to  take  the  artillery  fire ;  besides  as  our 
.•\merican  artillery  was  not  moving  as  fast  as  the  Marines  caused  them 
to  run  into  the  American  Barrage,  causing  awful  losses  to  our  men. 
Many  Boche  planes  kept  swooping  down  on  our  brave  boys,  piercing 
them  with  machine  gun  bullets. 

It  happened  that  after  Elmer  had  delivered  one  message  and  was 
returning  with  another  that  he  was  wounded  on  the  right  side  of  his 
face  and  shoulder.  He  was  sent  to  the  First  Aid  Station  which  con- 
sisted of  a  cave.  Here  he  remained  long  enough  to  get  his  wounds 
dressed ;  while  they  were  dressing  his  wounds  a  large  plane  came  over, 
dropped  a  large  bomb,  killing  a  captain  and  many  horses  and  almost 
closed  the  entrance  of  the  cave.  This  was  in  the  Soissons  Sector,  and 
many  Marines  lost  their  lives  and  many  more  were  wounded ;  this 
fight  lasted  from  the  18th  of  July  until  the  22nd  of  July,  when  finally 
the  enemy  was  dislodged  and  put  to  flight. 

Major  General  of  the  National  Army,  James  G.  Harbord,  in  speak- 
ing of  this  fight  says :       It  is  with  keen  pride  that  the  Division  Com- 

35 


mander  transmits  to  the  command  the  congratulations  and  affectionate 
personal  greetings  of  General  Pershing,  who  visited  the  Division 
Headquarters  last  night.  His  praise  of  the  gallant  work  of  the 
Division  on  the  18th  and  19th  is  echoed  by  the  French  High  Command, 
the  Third  Corps  Commander,  American  Expeditionary  Forces,  and  in 
a  telegram  from  the  former  Division  Commander.  He  says :  In 
spite  of  two  sleepless  nights,  long  marches  through  rain  and  mud,  and 
the  discomforts  of  hunger  and  thirst,  the  Division  attacked  side  by 
side  with  gallant  Moroccan  Division  and  maintained  itself  with  credit. 
You  advanced  over  six  miles,  captured  over  three  thousand  prisoners 
and  eleven  batteries  of  artillery  and  over  a  hundred  machine  guns, 
minenwerfer  and  supplies.  The  Second  Division  has  sustained  the 
best  traditions  of  the  Army  and  the  Marine  Corps.  The  story  of 
your  achievements  will  be  told  in  millions  of  homes  in  all  allied  lands 
tonight. 

Following  is  another  citation  from  Major  General  Bullard,  in 
speaking  of  this  fight  which  lasted  from  the  18th  to  the  22nd  of  July : 
On  the  morning  of  the  18th  of  July,  after  forty-eight  hours  of  ex- 
hausting, continuous,  almost  sleepless  movements,  you  stood  beside 
the  best  veteran  French  troops  and  did  honor  to  the  name  American. 
Our  allies,  your  commanders,  the  army  of  the  United  States  and  the 
whole  nation  are  proud  and  will  boast  of  your  deeds  and  the  deeds  of 
your  comrades,  who  at  your  side  in  the  last  five  days  have  fallen,  pay- 
ing the  last  sacrifice  of  soldiers. 

Yes,  in  these  five  days  many  a  brave  boy  fell  thinking  of  home 
that  was  to  be  home  no  more  for  him.  Here  one  Bethalto  boy  lost 
his  life,  here  Ed.  Henkhaus  paid  the  supreme  price  that  we  could  be 
and  remain  free ;  and  here  Elmer  received  the  wounds  that  almost 
proved  fatal ;  yet  he  was  spared  that  he  may  assist  at  some  future  time 
in  driving  the  enemy  out  of  territory  not  their  own. 

Elmer  remained  at  Regimental  first  aid  station  a  few  hours  after 
the  bombardment  waiting  for  the  ambulance  train,  but  as  it  did  not 
reach  the  place  until  night,  he  with  other  wounded  were  loaded  on  flat 
trucks  and  sent  to  a  French  hospital  ten  miles  behind  the  lines.  Here 
they  were  tagged  and  the  description  of  the  wounds  were  taken,  but 
no  wounds  were  dressed  here.  After  this  was  accomplished  they 
were  put  on  trains  and  sent  to  Paris,  to  the  Red  Cross  Hospital  No.  5. 

On  account  of  the  many  wounded  arriving  all  the  time  El- 
mer was  kept  continually  on  the  move.  He  had  been  wounded  on  the 
19th  and  by  the  20th  he  was  already  on  his  way  to  a  Red  Cross  Hos- 
pital. He  was  in  Paris  from  the  20th  to  the  28th,  when  he  was  sent 
to  Base  Hospital  No.  26  at  Alleray,  where  he  remained  until  the  10th 

36 


of  September  At  this  place  he  celebrated  his  birthday,  if  you  can 
call  it  a  celebration.  On  the  10th  of  September  he  was  able  to  go 
back  to  his  company,  for  his  wounds  were  healed  by  that  time.  He 
reached  his  company  on  the  14th  of  September.  They  had  just  ar- 
rived at  the  Toul  Sector,  having  just  got  out  of  the  St.  Mihiel  Sector. 
He  found  his  company  in  a  pretty  good  condition  for  they  had  not  lost 
many  men  during  the  time  Elmer  was  in  the  hospital. 

They  reached  Toul,  a  large  place,  on  the  16th,  and  remained  there 
a  couple  of  weeks.  From  Toul  they  went  to  Champaign  advance. 
Mount  Blanc  Sector,  between  Verdun  and  Rheims  with  the  Argonne 
Forest  south  and  east  of  them.  They  traveled  from  Toul  to  Vitry 
by  rail,  and  from  Vitry  to  Cheppes  through  Chalons  they  hiked  the 
whole  distance.  The  city  of  Chalons  was  being  bombarded  con- 
tinually ;  even  while  hiking  through  the  city  of  Chalons  in  the  night, 
shells  fell  all  around  them.  From  Chalons  they  hiked  north  to  Somme 
Suppes,  the  last  town  that  could  be  recognized  as  a  town  with  a  name. 
Although  there  were  no  civilians  there  some  French  officers  knew  the 
town  as  Somme  Suppes. 

After  that  names  of  towns  could  not  be  ascertained  and  the  only 
thing  that  gave  clue  to  the  existence  of  a  town  was  the  debris,  for 
everything  was  in  an  unrecognizable  shape.  Piles  of  brick  or  stone 
showed  that  it  had  once  been  a  place  where  inhabitants  had  quietly 
lived,  now  it  was  noise  and  death  that  mingled ;  for  they  were  by  this 
time  in  the  midst  of  the  Hindenburg  line  and  for  several  years  this 
place  had  been  the  object  of  vehement  opposition  and  both  sides  had 
torn  everything  so  what  one  side  did  not  get  demolished  the  other  com- 
pleted. They  reached  this  terrible  dreary  place  on  the  28th  of  Sep- 
tember and  remained  there  until  the  9th  of  October. 

Mont  Blanc  was  the  objective  of  the  Second  Division.  They  were 
continually  under  shell  fire  during  this  time ;  they  went  through  the 
awfullest  times  that  a  person  can  imagine ;  a  pile  of  stone  here,  a  large 
hole  there,  and  shells  flying  everywhere. 

Elmer  did  not  quite  reach  Mount  Blanc ;  if  he  did  he  did  not  know 
it,  for  on  the  5th  of  October  when  shells  were  falling,  splinters  flying, 
death-dealing  devices  were  at  work,  grinding,  ever  grinding,  many  a 
brave  boy  fell ;  the  scene  must  not  be  described ;  it  must  be  left  to  the 
imagination  of  the  reader.  During  an  awful  gas  attack  a  splinter 
tore  a  hole  in  Elmer's  gas  mask  and  the  rest  can  be  imagined;  with 
his  gas  mask  torn  to  pieces  what  the  result  would  be.  In  this  place 
where  shells  of  all  caliber  and  gas  shells  were  flying  all  the  time  every- 
where, in  this  waste  of  all  wastes  which  could  truly  be  called  "No 
Man's  Land,"    Elmer  took  his    place  beside    the  many    gassed    and 

37 


wounded.  This  new  kind  of  gas,  which  the  doctors  declared  to  be  a 
mixture  of  all  kinds,  had  got  him  all  at  once.  It  made  him  sick,  then 
strangulation  set  in,  his  voice  left  him,  his  eyes  were  blinded,  his 
lungs  became  inflamed,  and  it  was  vomit  and  vomit  all  the  time.  He 
could  not  get  out  of  it  for  it  caught  him  suddenly  and  the  last  he  re- 
membered was  that  he  lay  down  just  about  dead.  He  was  uncon- 
scious when  two  stretcher  bearers  came  along  about  three  hours  after- 
ward. They  carried  him  to  the  first  aid  station.  He  was  unable  to 
walk,  talk  or  see.  He  was  at  once  placed  into  an  ambulance  and  taken 
to  Field  Hospital  No.  5  near  Chalons,  a  place  that  seemed  altogether 
different  to  him  now.  His  company  still  in  the  thick  of  the  fight, 
while  he  was  being  carried  from  one  hospital  to  another,  made  things 
seem  weird. 

At  Field  Hospital  No.  5,  they  put  medicine  into  his  eyes  so  that 
he  could  open  them  a  little  now  and  then.  After  remaining  overnight 
they  sent  him  on  to  Mesves  Hospital  Center  on  a  Red  Cross  train. 
This  large  hospital  Unit  No.  3,  was  far  south  of  Vitry  and  Verdun. 
Here  he  was  treated  until  the  armistice  was  signed.  His  eyes  and 
throat  were  treated  with  medicines  and  washes.  Shortly  after  this 
he  was  sent  to  a  convalescent  camp  in  the  same  center  with  the  bal- 
ance of  the  gas  patients;  the  principal  treatment  they  received  there 
was  three  hours  exercise  in  the  morning  and  three  hours  in  the  eve- 
ning. The  object  of  this  exercise  was  to  work  the  gas  out  of  the 
patients,  and  it  was  exercise  until  you  dropped. 

The  climate  was  mild  and  damp.  The  unfinished  barracks  were 
overcrowded  with  patients.  Many  thousands  of  gas  patients  were 
sent  there  from  all  parts  of  France.  Elmer  kept  on  improving,  his 
eyes  were  getting  better,  but  many  another  died  while  at  this  place,  for 
"flu"  and  pneumonia  added  to  the  misery  and  the  gas  patients  con- 
tracted "flu"  and  pneumonia  easily.  Food  conditions  were  pretty 
good  here,  but  that  bothered  Elmer  very  little  for  he  had  not  regained 
his  appetite. 

He  left  the  convalescent  camp  a  little  before  Thanksgiving  Day, 
thinking  he  would  be  sent  home,  and  thus  wrote  to  his  parents  that 
he  would  eat  Christmas  dinner  with  them ;  but  instead  of  being  sent 
home  he  was  sent  to  Flat  Foot  Farm  at  St.  Aignan,  south  of  Paris, 
and  about  forty  miles  from  Tours.  Here  he  met  John  Wiedmer  for 
the  second  time  in  France,  the  first  time  being  on  Decoration  Day. 
Wiedmer  had  been  in  the  hospital  and  was  on  the  way  back  to  his  com- 
pany. Flat  Floot  Farm  was  another  place  of  misery ;  they  were  held 
there  waiting  for  their  records  that  had  been  lost.  The  place  con- 
sisted of  tents  and  men,  little  food  and  poor  drinking  water.       One 

38 


slice  of  bread,  one  slice  of  bacon,  a  little  cofifee  made  from  water  that 
had  gasoline  mixed  in  it,  was  his  Thanksgiving  dinner.  Cold  and 
damp,  frost  and  snow,  misery  over  again  during  these  days  when  they 
ought  to  have  been  on  their  way  home,  and  instead  of  eating  a 
well-prepared  meal  for  Christmas  at  home  he  spent  Christmas  at  Flat 
Foot  Farm  in  southern  France,  south  of  Paris,  near  St.  Aignan. 

They  sent  many  of  the  boys  on  without  their  records  and  thus  it 
happened  Elmer  was  finually  sent  on  and  he  reached  Brest  in  Feb- 
ruary, where  he  remained  a  couple  of  weeks.  On  March  3rd,  he  left 
on  the  Mount  \>rnon  for  New  York,  reaching  Hoboken  on  the  10th, 
making  the  voyage  in  seven  days.  From  Hoboken  he  was  sent  to 
Quantico,  the  starting  point.  While  at  Ouantico  he  received  a  fur- 
lough and  was  home  nearly  two  months  recuperating.  While  home 
the  freshness  of  the  spring  and  the  joy  of  being  among  loved  ones 
soon  refreshed  him  to  a  great  extent ;  and  after  this  furlough  expired 
he  returned  to  Quantico,  where  he  received  his  discharge. 

Following  are  a  few  telegrams  received  by  George  Olthoff,  his 
father : 

Headquarters  U.  S.  Marine  Corps, 

Adjutant  and  Inspector's  Department, 

Washington,  September  23,   1918. 

Sir : — I  deeply  regret  to  inform  you  that  information  has  been  re- 
ceived in  this  office  that  Private  Elmer  T.  Olthofif,  Marine  Corps,  was 
gassed  June  16,  1918.  No  further  details  were  given  in  the  report, 
and  official  cablegram  cannot  be  sent  asking  about  his  condition.  It 
is  very  probable  that  he  will  communicate  with  you  giving  the  details 
of  his  injury  and  condition  before  such  information  is  received  by  this 
office.  You  may  rest  assured  that  he  will  receive  every  possible  care 
and  attention.  Military  necessities  and  the  conditions  under  which 
our  forces  are  operating  make  it  difficult  to  do  much  toward  relieving 
the  anxiety  of  relatives  and  friends  of  the  men  who  are  nobly  sacrific- 
ing their  lives  in  the  service  of  their  country.  I  am  directed  by  the 
Major  General  Commandant  to  extend  to  you  his  sincere  wishes  that 
your  son  may  have  a  speedy  recovery  and  be  restored  to  duty  at  an 
early  date.  Very  respectfully, 

C.  A.  Ketcham,  Captain  and  Assistant. 


39 


ADJUTANT  AND  INSPECTOR 
Headquarters  U.  S.  Marine  Corps, 

Adjutant  and  Inspector's  Department, 
Washington,  January  21,  1919. 
Sir: — I  am  directed  by  the  Major  General  Commandant  to  advise 
you  that  a  hospital  report  has  just  been  received  from  abroad  regard- 
ing your  son,  Private  Elmer  T.  Olthoff,  M.  C,  as  follows :     Admitted 
to  Base  Hospital  No.  26,  July   28,  1918,  from   American  Red    Cross 
Military  Hospital  No.  5.       Cause  of  admission:    Gun    shot    wound, 
right  side  of  face,  slight.      Incurred  in  action  July  19,  1918.     Disposi- 
tion:     Returned  to  duty  August  24,  1918.      The  Major  General  Com- 
mandant also  directs  me  to  state  that  he  is  glad  to  know  that    your 
son  has  recovered  from  his   injuries,  and  to   congratulate  you  on   the 
splendid  part  he  played  in  the  glorious    achievements  of  our    forces. 
Very  respectfully,  C.  A.  Ketcham. 

CAPTAIN  ASSISTANT  ADJUTANT  AND  INSPECTOR. 

Headquarters  U.  S.  Marine  Corps, 

Adjutant  and  Inspector's  Department, 
Washington,  February  17,  1919. 

Sir: — I  am  directed  by  the  Major  General  Commandant  to  advise 
you  that  the  muster  roll  of  the  74th  Company  for  the  month  of 
October,  1918,  reports  your  son.  Private  Elmer  T.  Olthoff,  Marine 
Corps,  was  gassed  in  action,  October  5,  1918.  This  is  the  first  in- 
formation received  by  this  office  of  a  casualty  in  the  case  of  the  above 
named  man  and  it  is  quite  probable  that  you  have  already  received 
same  direct  from  him.  However,  as  there  are  many  instances  in 
which  the  relatives  have  not  received  information,  this  office  is  send- 
ing out  the  reports  in  all  cases. 

Yours  respectfully, 

C.  A.  Ketcham,  Captain  Assistant  Adjutant  and  Inspector. 

Elmer  was  not  as  lucky  as  many  others  of  the  Marine  Corps, — 
still  there  were  worse  casualities.  He  was  in  different  hospitals  a 
long  time  and  to  while  away  so  many  of  the  lonesome  hours  he  wrote 
some  of  his  past  experiences  in  the  forms  of  two  poems  which  he  wrote 
at  different  times :      They  read  as  follows : 

OVER  THE  TOP 

"Twas  on  the  morning  of  the  19th  in  the  month  of  July, 
That  the  order  was  given  to  pack  up  and  stand  by. 
To  clean  up  our  rifles  and  shine  up  our  knives. 
And  look  to  the  rations  which  might  save  our  lives. 

40 


So  the  men  were  soon  busy  and  I  with  the  rest 

Was  hurrying  and  scurrying  and  trying  my  best 

To  get  my  equipment  in  order  and  shape, 

And  trying  to  dope  out  just  what  I  should  take. 

For  you  know  when  a  fellow's  going  over  the  top 

He  does  not  take  all  of  the  things  that  he's  got. 

And  though  many  a  heart  has  beat  in  despair 

You've  got  to  watch  out  what  you  put  in  there. 

For  all  of  the  treasures  you  love  and  you  own, 

Such  as  letters  from  her  and  the  pictures  from  home, 

Must  be  carried  along  with  you  strapped  on  your  back. 

Packed  away  closely  in  your  combat  pack. 

By  five  o'clock  we  were  ready  to  go. 

Each  man  a  warrior  from  his  head  to  his  toe. 

When  the  whistle  blew  we  stepped  off  in  file 

With  many  a  grin  and  many  a  smile, 

For  though  we  were  headed  for  the  firing  line 

We  were  "raring  to  go"  and  feeling  fine. 

Each  30-inch  step  brings  us  nearer  our  fate 

So  we  quickened  our  pace  so  we  wouldn't  be  late. 

For  an  hour  or  two  we  hiked  through  the  woods. 

Then  out  through  a  place  where  a  village  once  stood. 

We  passed  through  its  streets  all  torn  up  from  shell 

We  uttered  some  phrases  which  here  I  won't  tell ; 

Then  out  through  some  fields  which  once  had  grown  wheat, 

But  now  just  plain  mud  from  the  trampling  of  feet, 

Then  to  the  top  of  a  hill  and  there  on  its  crest 

Our  Captain,  he  told  us  to  lie  down  and  rest. 

We  no  sooner  did  this,  now  let  me  tell, 

When  right  in  our  midst  there  lit  a  big  shell. 

And  no  sooner  that  one  than  another  one  came 

And  soon  they  vv-ere  falling  as  thickly  as  rain. 

So  we  stretched  out  and  rested  the  best  way  we  could. 

And  counted  the  shells  that  came  from  the  wood. 

For  it  was  in  this  wood  that  Fritz  had  his  line 

While  we  had  a  wheatfield  in  which  shelter  to  find. 

After  resting,  perhaps  half  an  hour  or  so. 

The  order  was  given  to  get  up  and  go. 

That  now  we  were  in  "No  Man's  Laiid," 

And  would  fight  to  a  finish  to  make  a  stand. 

Then  in  war  formation  we  entered  the  field. 

Our  rifles  were  loaded  and  bared  was  our  steel, 

41 


So  we  started  across  in  the  young  of  the  day, 

The  woods  our  objective,  a  kilo  away. 

The  air  was  soon  sizzling  and  hissing  with  lead 

That  smashed  up  our  limbs  or  knocked  you  cold  dead, 

And  soon  high  explosive  was  taking  its  toll 

And  shrapnel  was  starting  to  make  many  a  hole. 

Now  and  then  a  buddy,  a  brave  boy  would  drop, 

With  a  hole  in  his  heart  or  his  head  all  shot. 

And  then  a  pitiful  cry  would  come  up 

From  a  wounded  pal  with  an  ugly  cut. 

And  again  to  add  to  our  misery  out  there 

A  squadron  of  Boche  swept  down  from  the  air 

With  guns  that  spit  out  their  red  hot  fire 

But  we  plowed  through  it  all  nor  did  we  retire. 

Our  guns  were  still  loaded  and  still  bare  was  our  steel 

When  we  came  to  the  edge  of  that  waving  wheat  field. 

Then  'twas  like  walking  right  straight  into  hell 

For  the  field  we  now  entered  behind  me  when  I  tell 

Was  nothing  but  grass  two  or  three  inches  high, 

And  there  I  heard  many  a  buddie's  last  cry. 

The  bullets  now  spat  like  snakes  at  our  feet. 

And  the  shells  fell  so  thick  we  could  feel  the  heat, 

But  on  we  kept  going  and  ne'er  did  we  stop 

Till  we  neared  their  front  line  just  within  a  good  shot, 

And  then  it  was  our  turn  to  take  a  hand  in  the  fray 

So  we  started  a  game  that  all  of  us  could  play. 

Every  one  opened  up  and  all  at  one  time 

Sent  out  our  death-pills  into  Fritizie's  front  line, 

And  this  we  kept  up  an  hour  or  two 

And  out  of  the  Fritz  we  made  hash  and  Boche  stew. 

Then  something  happened,  our  guns  got  the  range, 

And  soon  in  the  scene  began  a  great  change 

And  then  all  the  woods  where  old  Fritzie  lay 

Was  quickly  mown  down  just  like  so  much  hay. 

And  then  as  the  harvest  was  fast  being  reaped 

Right  out  in  the  open  the  "Devil  Dogs"  leaped. 

We  were  ready  to  live  or  ready  to  die. 

But  did  we  die  ?       No  !  but  fighting  like  mad 

We  forced  the  last  Fritz  to  holler  "Kamerad" ! 

We  now  were  ready  to  run  them  through. 

But  there  was  only  one  thing  allowed  us  to  do ; 

So  we  took  back  our  prisoners  and  then  stopped  to  rest ; 

We  had  gained  our  victory ;  we  had  done  our  best. 

42 


OVER  NO  MAN'S  LAND 

I  had  a  pal  in  the  Marine  Corps ; 

It  is  hard  for  me  to  say, 
But  I'll  tell  you  where  I  left  him 

Six  months  ago  today. 
We  were  up  in  the  front  line  trenches 

Dug  down  in  the  sand, 
When  our  orders  came  to  us  one  night 

To  go  across  No  Man's  Land. 
So  over  to  No  Man's  Land  we  wandered 

Me  and  my  old  friend,  Bill, 
We  placed  our  pack  upon  our  back 

And  went  winding  up  the  hill. 
We  topped  the  hill  at  ten  o'clock. 

The  moon  was  shining  bright. 
When  across  the  lone  old  prairie 

There  was  another  hill  in  sight. 
I  says  to  Bill,  "The  coast  is  clear, 

And  we  are  on  the  way. 
Let's  try  to  make  the  hill 

Before  the  break  of  day." 
Bill  said,  "all  right"  and  took  the  lead 

And  I  was  close  behind, 
Watching  closely  all  along 

For  any  German  sign. 
We  crossed  that  lonely  prairie 

And  reached  that  lonely  hill 
And  went  into  the  timber 

While  everything  was  still. 
The  sun  rose  up  next  morning 

It  was  shining  through  the  trees, 
We  heard  a  sound  somewhere  around. 

And  dropping  to  our  knees, 
Bill  put  his  gun  to  his  shoulder. 

And  while  he  was  taking  sight, 
He  says,  "I  see  a  German 

And  I'll  get  him  all  right." 
I  watched  him  pull  the  trigger 

And  at  the  crack  of  that  old  gun 
He  brought  the  German  to  the  ground 

As  if  he  weighed  a  ton. 


43 


We  searched  his  clothing  closely 

No  information  could  we  find 
So  thought  the  Germans  had  retreated 

And  he'd  been  left  behind. 

We  stayed  there  in  the  timber 

As  it  was  broad  daylight 
For  we  were  out  in  No  Man's  Land 

And  must  keep  out  of  sight. 

Bill  said  to  me,  "Some  time  today, 

Before  the  sun  goes  down, 
There'll  be  a  German  patrol  come 

From  that  little  one  horse  town." 

And  sure  enough  that  afternoon, 

As  sure  as  I'm  alive, 
A  Hun  patrol  came  slipping  through. 

But  there  were  only  five. 

We  watched  them  there  as  they  drew  near 

To  ninety  steps  or  more 
Bill  brought  the  leader  to  the  ground 

And  there  were  only  four. 

And  then  I  loaded  my  old  gun, 

And  took  a  rest  across  a  tree. 
This  brought  another  to  the  ground 

So  there  were  only  three. 

Bill  threw  his  arms  up  in  the  air 

As  he  was  shot  clear  through. 
But  he  had  got  another  one 

Which  left  there  only  two. 
Then  many  thoughts  went  through  my  head, 

I  said,  "you  dirty  Hun !" 
And  then  another  bit  the  dust 

And  there  Vv^as  only  one. 
I'd  bad  luck  with  my  rifle 

And  broke  the  firing  pin. 
So  jerked  my  HP  pistol  from  my  belt 

And  got  the  last  one  through  the  chin. 
So  there  lay  five  dead  Huns 

But  my  brave  partner  Bill, 
Was  dead  as  any  German 

Upon  that  dreary  hill. 

44 


I  took  my  shovel  from  my  pack 

And  dug  a  little  grave — 
Than  cover  Bill  up  with  the  sod, 

I'd  rather  be  a  slave. 
I  rolled  him  in  his  blanket 

And  lined  his  grave  with  grass, 
And  covered  him  up  with  the  cold  sod, 

And  saw  him  for  the  last. 
I  took  his  mess  kit  cover 

And  hung  it  on  a  limb. 
And  wrote  a  verse  across  it 

So  they'd  remember  him. 
"Here  lies  a  long  lost  soldier, 

His  name  was  Billy  Tart ; 
He  fought  and  died  for  his  country 

And  surely  did  his  part. 
He  could  whip  his  weight  in  wild-cats 

But  he  couldn't  stop  a  shell, 
But  we  know  he  went  to  Heaven 

For  he's  done  his  hitch  in  Hell. 

Following  are  Elmer's  discharge  and  military  record : 

United  States  Marine  Corps. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern:  Know  ye  that  Elmer  Theodore 
Olthoff,  a  private  of  the  U.  S.  Marine  Corps,  who  was  enlisted  the  14th 
day  of  December,  1916,  at  Marine  Barracks,  Paris  Island,  S.  C,  to 
serve  for  the  duration  of  the  war,  is  hereby  honorably  discharged  by 
special  order  of  the  Major  General  Commandant.  For  the  conven- 
ience of  the  government. 

Said  Elmer  Theodore  Olthoff  was  born  August  1st.  1895,  at  Terre 
Haute,  Ind.,  and  when  enlisted  he  was  65  3-4  inches  high,  with  blue 
eyes,  auburn  hair,  ruddy  complexion;  occupation  mechanic,  citizen- 
ship, U.  S.  Accepted  for  enlistment  at  St.  Louis  Mo.  Given  under 
my  hand  and  delivered  at  Marine  Barracks,  Quantico,  Va.,  Head- 
quarters 14th  Regiment,  this  13th  day  of  June,  1919.  Paid  in  full 
$112.76,  check  No.  32652,  dated  June  10th,  1919.  Character:  Ex- 
cellent.     P.  W.  Bowman,  Colonel  U.  S.  M.  C,  Commanding  Marines. 

MILITARY  RECORD 

Previous  service :  None.  Promotions  and  reductions :  None. 
Marksmanship  qualification:       Marksman,  February  2,  1918.       Sea 

45 


Service:  None.  Foreign  Service:  France,  March  26th,  1918  to 
March  3rd,  1919.  Wounds  received  in  service:  Gassed  in  action 
June  16th,  1918;  October  5,  1918.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmish 
expeditions :  June  1st  to  July  4th,  1918,  Bois  de  Belleau  Sector  ;  July 
18th  to  July  19th,  1918,  Parey-Tigny ;  October  2nd  to  October  5th, 
1918,  Champagne  Sector.  Military  Efficiency:  Very  Good. 
Obedience:  Excellent.  Sobriety:  Excellent.  Remarks:  Service 
honest  and  faithful ;  issued  honorable  discharge  button— P.  W.  Bow- 
man, Colonel  U.  S.  M.  C.  Commanding  Marines. 


EDWARD  B.  BOWMAN 


Edward  B.  Bowman,  son  of  Ben  and  Emma  Bowman,  and  brother 
to  George,  whose  description  is  found  in  this  book,  was  born  on  a  farm 
one  half  mile  east  of  Bethalto  May  22,  1896.  He  received  a  good 
common  school  education  at  Bethalto,  completing  the  Ninth  grade 
work;  and  after  that  continued  to  assist  the  parents  with  their  farm 
work.  Later  on  he  attended  the  Jones  Commercial  College  in  St. 
Louis,  completing  the  course  there,  and  after  graduation  he  became  in- 
structor at  the  college,  a  position  he  was  holding  at  the  time  the 
United  States  entered  the  World  War  against  Germany. 

A  number  of  St.  Louis  boys  began  to  volunteer  for  the  service  and 
Ed.  became  one  of  the  volunteers  for  the  U.  S.  Marines,  taking  exami- 
nation on  the  26th  of  May,  shortly  after  war  was  declared.  Although 
he  was  accepted,  passing  the  physical  test  easily,  he  did  not  leave  until 
a  sufficient  number  was  procured;  among  the  number  being  John 
Wiedmer,  of  St.  Louis,  and  Leo  Struif  of  Alton.  In  the  meantime 
Ed.  registered  for  the  draft,  June  5th,  and  on  the  14th  of  June,  Ed. 
was  on  his  way  in  company  with  145  boys,  all  bound  for  Paris  Island, 
S.  C.  These  145  boys,  who  later  became  known  as  the  St.  Louis  Unit, 
formed  the  75th  and  76th  companies  after  reaching  Paris  Island.  At 
the  time  the  boys  arrived  Paris  Island  had  not  been  developed  as  a 
military  camp  for  the  Marines,  but  was  being  used  as  a  Naval  Prison, 
and  all  that  was  on  the  Island  at  the  time  was  the  old  prison  with  its 
naval  prisoners  and  their  guards. 

The  75th  and  76th  received  uniforms  at  once,  and  on  account  of 
such  a  large  number  from  one  place  at  the  same  time,  they  were  at 
once  classed  as  a  unit  of  some  strength  and  importance.  Ed.  was 
placed  in  the  75th  company,  after  taking  another  rigid  examination. 
After  Ed.  had  been  on  the  Island  but  a  short  time  he  had  been  thor- 
oughly initiated  into  the  secrets  of  Marine  life,  and  the  next    three 

46 


months  were  devoted  to  drilling,  hiking  and  in  a  word,  training  to  be- 
come a  Marine  to  serve  in  a  foreign  land.  The  Island  is  about  25 
miles  wide  and  afforded  room  for  all  kinds  of  practice  and  training. 
Major  General  George  Barnett,  Commandant  Marine  Corps,  gave  the 
boys  a  talk  on  the  mysteries  of  Marine  life,  and  after  the  chaplain  had 
given  them  a  brief  talk  the  final  step  of  initiation  was  taken  by  "cross- 
ing the  line"  and  the  duties  of  a  Marine  were  taken  up. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  two  weeks  the  boys  went  farther  inland 
where  a  camp  was  being  arranged  ;  it  was  about  two  miles  from  the 
seacoast  and  when  the  tide  was  high  the  water  came  rolling  all  the 
way  to  the  camp,  and  after  it  had  receded  it  left  a  beautiful  drill 
ground,  smooth  and  firm.  The  tide  also  left  thousands  of  tons  of 
oyster  shells  on  the  coast  which  the  boys  were  wont  to  carry  in 
buckets  a  distance  of  two  miles  to  build  up  the  camp.  The  carrying 
of  these  shells  in  buckets  on  a  shoulder  was  tiresome  and  irksome,  but 
it  helped  to  toughen  and  that  was  what  was  needed. 

After  remaining  in  the  first  camp  about  two  weeks  they  went 
farther  inland  where  real  intensive  drilling  commenced.  The  tide 
came  in  at  about  7  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  was  gone  before  morn- 
ing, leaving  splendid  grounds  on  which  to  drill.  They  built  a  galley 
— (Marine  name  for  kitchen)— filled  up  all  around  with  shells,  and 
they  started  to  build  a  mess  hall.  It  was  here  they  held  their  Fourth 
of  July  meet.  They  had  boxing,  jumping,  etc.  Thus  they  completed 
another  step  in  their  line  of  duty.  Here  amongst  strangers  these 
burning  summer  days  were  spent ;  here  amongst  palm  trees  Ed.  spent 
days  amidst  millions  of  buzzards  and  myriads  of  mosquitoes ;  but  he 
felt  he  was  doing  his  duty  toward  his  country  and  but  for  this  feeling 
the  work  would  have  been  unbearable. 

Later  on  they  went  to  another  camp  where  drilling  became  more 
intense.  It  became  training  in  reality  ;  training  from  sunup  until 
sunset;  work  half  a  day,  drill  the  other  half.  When  they  reached  this 
third  camp  they  found  it  rough  and  full  of  seaweeds ;  they  smoothed 
about  one  square  mile  of  these  grounds,  carrying  off  all  the  weeds  and 
making  it  fit  for  drilling.  They  unloaded  a  large  barge  of  lumber, 
by  carrying  the  lumber  two  miles  inland  to  build  barracks.  They 
were  brown  as  bats,  for  they  wore  few  clothes  in  this  hot  land,  and  no 
one  wore  caps  or  hats.  The  object  of  this  intensive  training  seemed  to 
be  twofold ;  one  was  to  learn  to  obey  orders,  the  other  to  toughten  up. 
If  a  Marine  was  the  least  negligent  with  his  clothing  he  was  punished 
by  having  to  carry  from  20  to  50  buckets  of  oyster  shells  a  distance 
of  two  miles  after  drill  hours ;  it  would  sometimes  take  a  week  to  ful- 
fill this  duty.      At  this  camp  they  went  on  a  rifle  range  for  two  weeks ; 

47 


the  first  week  was  spent  in  what  was  called  "snapping  off"  which 
taught  them  to  handle  the  gun  but  no  shooting ;  also  taught  them  to 
load  and  handle  the  gun  with  ease  and  precision.  The  second  week 
was  spent  in  shooting,  at  the  end  of  which  time  the  boys  qualified  on 
the  range.  The  regular  pay  for  the  boys  was  $30.00  a  month.  If 
a  Marine  made  202  out  of  300  he  qualified  as  marksman  and  received 
$2.00  extra  pay ;  if  he  made  238  out  of  300  he  became  a  sharpshooter 
and  received  $3.00  extra  pay ;  if  he  made  251  out  of  300  he  became  an 
expert  rifleman  and  received  $5.00  extra  pay.  Ed.  made  261  out  of 
300,  receiving  extra  pay  of  $5.00  a  month  for  a  year,  and  received  ex- 
pert rifleman's  badge,  but  not  until  he  reached  France. 

From  these  new  barracks  they  went  back  to  the  old  barracks 
where  the  Old  Naval  Prison  was  located.  Here  they  did  guard  duty ; 
guarding  prisoners  and  making  them  work ;  guarding  men  who  had 
been  court-martialed  and  sent  to  Paris  Island  for  long  prison  terms. 
Here  he  met  Walter  Wulf,  of  Bethalto,  not  as  a  prisoner,  but  as  a 
cook  at  headquarters. 

By  the  first  of  September  they  had  left  Paris  Island  and  reached 
Quantico,  a  camp  in  Virginia  exclusively  used  to  train  U.  S.  Marines. 
Here  Ed.  received  a  ten-day  furlough  which  time  he  spent  with  home 
folks.  After  he  returned  he  was  placed  in  the  83rd  company,  6th  U. 
S.  Marines,  3rd  Battalion.  At  Quantico  they  had  more  real  training 
in  trench  warfare,  etc.,  until  they  got  ready  to  sail  for  France,  which 
was  on  the  22nd  of  October,  1917,  when  they  boarded  the  ship  Von 
Steuben,  that  had  formerly  been  the  Crown  Prince  Wilhelm.  They 
sailed  from  Philadelphia  to  New  York  where  they  joined  the  convoy 
of  four  troop  ships,  four  destroyers  and  one  battle  cruiser.  The 
Von  Steuben  sailed  as  an  auxiliary  cruiser.  The  convoy  was  under 
American  command ;  the  sea  was  smooth  and  everything  went  fine  un- 
til they  reached  the  war  zone.  They  sighted  two  German  submarines, 
one  fired  at  them  but  no  damage  was  done  and  the  submarines  were 
made  to  disappear ;  but  about  8  o'clock  at  dusk  one  of  the  troop  ships 
called  Agamemnon  rammed  the  Von  Steuben,  causing  the  loss  of  sev- 
eral lives.  The  jar  threw  the  sailors  from  the  Agamemnon  on  to 
the  Von  Steuben,  and  five  American  Marines  on  deck  of  the  Von 
Steuben  were  thrown  into  the  sea  and  lost.  Ed.  narrowly  escaped  by 
holding  to  the  railing.  The  bow  of  the  Von  Steuben  had  been  torn 
off,  the  life  boats  on  one  side  all  gone  and  the  ship  placed  in  a  critical 
position,  and  in  a  bad  condition.  No  time  to  stop  in  the  dark  amidst 
the  enemy  submarines,  the  balance  of  the  convoy  sailed  on  to  St. 
Nazaire  while  the  Von  Steuben  managed  to  reach  Brest,  a  nearer  port, 
on  the  12th  of  November,  1917. 

48 


They  passed  through  the  great  sea  walls  that  Napoleon  had  built 
many  years  ago ;  and  after  landing  they  went  to  the  Napoleon  Bar- 
racks. They  were  the  first  Americans  to  reach  this  place,  and  they 
sure  did  receive  a  royal  welcome  from  the  natives.  The  French  were 
downhearted,  and  when  they  saw  relief  coming — when  they  saw  their 
only  hope  coming — the  city  rejoiced  and  threw  thousands  of  flowers 
in  the  paths  of  the  Marines. 

They  remained  at  Brest  one  day  and  then  rode  in  box  cars  to  Bor- 
deaux, where  the  5th  and  6th  Marines  built  docks  and  laid  miles  of 
track.  They  drove  piling,  built  warehouses  and  worked  like  slaves. 
They  drilled  some,  but  worked  most  of  the  time.  They  remained  at 
Bordeau  until  the  first  of  January,  1918,  when  they  once  more  took  a 
4-day  box  car  ride  for  the  Verdun  Sector,  a  ride  through  snow  and 
sleet,  a  cold  and  miserable  ride  until  they  reached  Damblain,  a  town 
right  behind  the  lines.  At  Chaumont  La  Ville,  their  camp,  they 
were  placed  in  reserve  and  were  given  more  training  in  bomb  throw- 
ing, gas  drills,  etc.  They  had  both  English  and  French  masks.  They 
had  instructions  in  real  live  grenades  and  gas  drills  in  real  gas  and 
gas  masks. 

From  reserve  they  were  put  in  support  and  by  the  last  of  January 
they  took  over  the  first  line  trenches,  thus  relieving  the  French  for 
the  first  time  in  their  history.  Thus  the  Marines  became  familiar 
with  trench  warfare  for  they  remained  in  these  trenches  from  the  last 
of  January  until  the  18th  of  May.  During  this  time  the  Germans 
made  several  attacks  and  the  Marines  were  constantly  under  shell  fire. 
When  they  went  to  the  trenches  Ed.  became  corporal,  and  while  in  the 
trenches  he  became  acting-sergeant.  He  held  outposts  and  was  in 
charge  of  nine  men. 

It  may  be  mentioned  here  that  in  a  nearby  sector  the  Germans 
made  a  heavy  attack  on  the  74th  company,  causing  the  loss  of  nearly 
the  whole  company,  and  it  thus  happened  that  Elmer  Olthoff,  of  Be- 
thalto,  was  sent  there  to  help  fill  up  the  gaps  thus  made.  They  had 
been  near  Dead  Man's  Hill  at  Somme  Dieu.  near  the  Meuse  River. 
After  they  were  relieved  they  left  this  sector  for  a  five  days'  rest  at 
Varray  La  Petit,  a  real  rest,  the  first  one  for  many  a  day.  Here  Ed. 
received  his  pay  and  here  he  celebrated  his  22nd  birthday. 

The  83rd,  84th,  82nd  and  97th  composed  the  Third  Battalion  un- 
der the  command  of  Major  Sibley.  The  83rd  and  84th  were  always 
billeted  together,  John  Wiedmer,  of  St.  Louis,  was  in  the  84th,  and 
Leo  Struif,  of  Alton  in  the  97th.  After  a  five  days'  period  of  rest 
they  hiked  four  days  and  four  nights  to  the  little  town  of  Montagny, 
north    of    Paris,    where    they    were  placed    in  reserve    of    the    First 

49 


Division,  and  while  at  Montagny  he  met  Elmer  Olthoff,  the  first  and 
only  time  in  France.      This  was  on  Decoration  Day. 

The  First  Division  was  expecting  an  attack  from  the  Germans 
and  the  Second  Division  was  placed  in  readiness  in  the  Mt.  Didier  Sec- 
tor; but  they  (the  Second  Division)  had  hardly  reached  this  place 
when  orders  came  for  them  to  march  toward  Paris,  for  the  Germans 
were  breaking  through  at  Chateau  Thierry.  The  boys  started  at  once 
in  camions,  or  trucks  as  we  call  them,  and  rode  all  night,  all  next  day 
and  the  next  night.  They  met  sights  little  dreamed  of ;  men.  women 
and  children,  everybody,  fleeing  from  their  homes,  having  left  all  their 
belongings  ;  some  pulled  carts,  some  carried  a  little  baggage,  but  all 
were  hurrying  from  that  awful  scene  they  left  behind ;  as  they  drew 
nearer  soldiers  were  seen  fleeing.  The  Germans  had  routed  the 
French ;  they  were  in  full  retreat,  a  disorderly  retreat,  their  line  was 
broken  and  the  tide  of  retreat  could  not  be  stemmed. 

It  was  here  the  French  General  in  command  told  Major  General 
Bundy  to  have  his  men  also  fall  back,  as  nothing  could  be  done ;  that 
it  would  be  best  to  form  a  line  of  defense  25  miles  farther  back ;  but 
our  noble  Major  General  Bundy  answered  him  by  saying:  "Retreat 
Hell,  we  did  not  come  to  retreat,  we  came  to  fight ;  Marines  never  re- 
treat— there  is  no  such  word  in  their  dictionary."  On  and  on  they 
went,  and  the  French  soldiers  kept  filtering  through  doing  their  best 
to  hold  the  Germans  back,  but  with  little  success.  The  Marines  finally 
established  their  lines  three  kilos  behind  the  place  where  the  French 
lines  were  supposed  to  have  been,  but  the  French  had  gradually  left 
their  places,  for  the  organization  was  broken.  The  boys  on  their 
way  met  many  a  poor  wounded  soldier,  they  passed  many  dead,  saw 
many  a  demolished  and  ruined  dwelling.  They  settled  in  their  posi- 
tion on  the  night  of  June  the  first,  and  by  next  morning  the  Germans, 
expecting  no  resistance,  came  forward  in  full  formation. 

At  Montagny  Ed.  had  been  made  sergeant  and  a  recommendation 
for  a  commissioned  officer,  and  the  date  of  his  going  to  officers'  train- 
ing school  had  been  set,  but  now  he  was  in  charge  of  the  bombing 
section.  As  the  enemy  marched  forward  in  full  formation  the  un- 
expected happened.  The  Marines  were  there,  the  "Devil  Dogs"  had 
arrived  on  the  scene ;  and  the  withering  fire  that  was  sent  into  the 
enemy's  line  was  awful  to  behold ;  but  they  kept  on  attacking  and  the 
Marines  held  fast  and  so  did  their  lines.  The  enemy  would  fall  back, 
then  try  again  ;  there  were  bayonet  charges,  bomb  throwing,  real  fight- 
ing in  earnest  all  around,  and  all  around  lay  the  dead  and  wounded. 
These  attacks  were  desperate,  but  the  enemy  finally  fell  back  and 
waited  for  the  next  day. 

50 


Ed.  had  received  a  shrapnel  wound  and  went  back  to  the  dressing 
station  where  it  was  dressed,  but  on  account  of  the  shortage  of  men 
Ed.  was  sent  back  to  where  they  made  preparation  to  meet  another 
onslaught  the  next  day,  the  third  of  June.  On  the  third  they  were 
attacked  again  harder  than  ever,  the  Uhlans  made  one  charge  after 
another,  many  a  brave  son  lost  his  life,  but  not  in  vain.  The  am- 
munition ran  low,  their  rations  all  gone,  fighting  continued,  but  their 
lines  held.  They  had  not  discovered  the  word  "retreat,"  the  order 
had  not  been  given,  and  if  it  had  it  would  probably  not  have  been 
obeyed.  It  was  too  much  for  the  enemy,  and  although  the  aeroplanes 
kept  swooping  down  with  their  machine  guns  and  taking  a  heavy  toll, 
those  who  were  left  resisted  and  the  enemy  gave  up  the  attack. 

The  Germans  had  failed  in  the  second  battle  of  Marne,  they  had 
failed  in  their  advance  on  Paris ;  they  had  failed  to  break  through,  and 
had  failed  to  sweep  down  the  beautiful  valley  to  overwhelm  the  Pride 
of  France. 

It  was  now  coming  time  for  the  Americans  to  try  a  hand  at  the 
offensive.  The  Fourth  Brigade,  composed  of  the  Fifth  and  Sixth 
Marines,  started  their  advance  movement  toward  Belleau  Wood  where 
the  Germans  had  concealed  their  infantry  with  machine  guns  and 
trench  mortars.  They  were  hid  in  the  woods,  they  were  behind 
rocks  and  were  well  protected  from  artillery  fire.  Into  this  we  must 
go  and  into  this  place  we  went.  Can  you  imagine  the  hell  our  boys 
went  through  ;  can  you  imagine  how  our  boys  felt  before  they  started 
— when  the  Regimental  Chaplain  held  services  in  the  trenches ;  and 
can  you  imagine  how  Ed.  felt  when  the  gunnery  sergeant  told  him  at 
5  p.  m.  on  the  6th  of  June  just  as  they  started  forward  that  "after  to- 
day the  old  lady  will  have  to  wear  black." 

They  started  forward  in  four  waves,  but  there  was  only  one  wave 
left  when  they  reached  the  wood ;  Ed.  was  in  the  first  wave ;  he  was 
shot  in  the  left  hip  at  6  p.  m.  by  a  machine  gun  bullet ;  the  blood  be- 
gan to  ooze  down  into  his  shoe  but  the  excitement  was  too  great,  life 
was  nothing  in  the  sight  of  so  much  carnage,  and  on  he  went  until  he 
reached  the  wood.  Many  had  fallen  and  their  ranks  fast  depleting 
but  they  succeeded.  As  was  stated  later  by  some  German  prisoners, 
the  Marines  surely  must  have  been  drunk ;  nay,  it  was  the  absence  of 
drink  that  had  made  them  obedient  and  brave ;  but  no  matter  how 
brave  a  soldier  is  he  cannot  stop  a  cannon  ball.  The  cries  of  the 
wounded,  the  roaring  of  the  cannon,  the  swishing  of  machine  gun  bul- 
lets, and  the  battle  cries  of  "Lusitania"  and  others  mingled  when  some- 
thing happened. 

51 


Ed.  was  unable  to  go  on ;  it  was  seven-thirty,  he  heard  a  roar,  a 
crash  and  he  was  whirled  into  the  air.  A  high  explosive  shell  had 
lit  amongst  them;  many  were  wounded  and  several  killed,  among 
whom  was  his  friend,  the  gunnery  sergeant.  A  piece  of  shell  had  torn 
a  place  out  of  Ed.'s  leg,  including  about  three  inches  of  bone,  and  he 
lay  helpless.  They  dragged  him  into  a  ditch  where  shell  fire  was  not 
so  fierce.  Later  on  he  was  removed  to  a  barn  where  his  wounds  were 
dressed,  but  the  Germans  began  shelling  the  barn  and  the  able-bodied 
men  fled,  but  Ed.,  unable  to  flee,  crawled  under  some  hay  in  a  semi- 
conscious state  where  he  lay  until  12:30  at  night  when  he  imagined 
the  enemy  had  won  the  day ;  and  he  also  knew  what  it  meant  for  him 
if  the  enemy  found  him  in  this  critical  condition ;  but  the  enemy  did 
not  find  him.  Instead  a  French  Red  Cross  man  found  him  the  next 
morning  and  carried  him  to  an  ambulance  and  thus  he  rode  through 
a  stream  of  shell  fire,  through  the  town  of  Lucy  to  a  place  of  safety. 

An  American  Red  Cross  station  was  situated  in  a  church,  and  Ed. 
was  placed  in  it  where  he  was  given  a  "shot"  to  keep  him  from  getting 
lock-jaw,  but  Ed.  had  not  long  to  stay  there  for  the  Germans  began 
to  shell  this  hospital,  wounding  a  nurse  and  killing  several  patients, 
so  they  had  to  leave  the  church  and  Ed.  was  taken  to  a  hospital  in  a 
town  called  Jouy.  Even  at  Jouy  they  bombarded  them.  It  was  at 
Jouy  Ed.  was  operated  upon,  he  had  had  a  severe  hemorrhage  and  he 
was  unconscious  most  of  the  time ;  he  was  being  moved  around  more 
than  he  could  bear.  For  safety's  sake  he  was  removed  to  Base  Hos- 
pital No.  2  at  Paris.  Even  the  "Big  Berthas"  fell  there.  While  at 
Paris  Ed.  had  another  hemorrhage,  for  they  could  not  get  the  bleeding 
under  control.  ' 

During  the  latter  part  of  July,  Ed.  was  taken  from  the  hospital  in 
Paris  and  sent  to  Base  Hospital  No.  8  at  Savenay,  about  14  kilos  from 
St.  Nazaire,  arriving  there  about  the  first  of  August.  At  Jouy  he  had 
the  machine  gun  bullet  taken  from  his  hip  and  it  had  healed  up  by 
this  time,  but  the  large  wound  would  not  heal  and  while  he  was  at 
Savenay  he  had  another  awful  hemorrhage,  which  almost  proved  fatal ; 
and  would  have  proved  so  had  it  not  been  for  the  transfusion  of  blood 
from  a  nurse  and  a  doctor.  He  had  lost  so  much  blood  that  he  dared 
not  move  for  two  weeks.  He  was  at  this  hospital  until  the  first  of 
November  and  during  his  stay  at  the  various  hospitals  his  weight  had 
reduced  from  170  pounds  to  125  pounds. 

On  the  first  of  November  he  was  sent  to  Brest  to  the  U.  S.  Base 
Hospital  No.  15,  where  he  remained  until  November  12,  when  he  set 
sail  for  the  United  States  on  the  Ship  Pocahontas.  He  was  sent  as 
S.  C.  D. — Surgeon's  Certificate  of  Disability. 

52 


While  in  France  he  had  undergone  four  operations,  one  at  Jouy, 
one  at  Paris  and  two  at  Savenay.  They  had  a  rough  voyage,  but 
they  landed  safely  at  Norfolk,  Va.,  on  the  22nd  of  November,  and  he 
was  sent  to  Portsmouth  Hospital  from  where  he  was  transferred  to 
the  Great  Lakes  Hospital  on  the  third  of  December.  He  was  home 
on  a  seven  days'  furlough  between  Christmas  and  New  Year  and  upon 
his  return  he  was  once  more  operated  upon ;  this  time  they  grafted  skin 
on  his  wound  that  would  not  heal.  In  April  he  had  another  furlough 
and  when  he  returned  he  remained  until  he  was  discharged  from  the 
service,  receiving  a  Medical  Disability  Discharge. 

UNITED  STATES  MARINE  CORPS. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern:  Know  ye,  that  Edward  B.  Bow- 
man, a  private  of  the  U.  S.  Marine  Corps,  who  was  enlisted  at  M.  B. 
Paris  Island,  S.  C,  on  the  21st  day  of  June,  1917,  to  serve  four  years, 
is  hereby  honorably  discharged  upon  report  of  medical  survey  for  dis- 
ability. Said  Edward  B.  Bowman  was  born  May  22nd,  1896,  at  Be- 
thalto.  111.,  and  when  enlisted  was  68  inches  high,  with  brown  eyes, 
dark  brown  hair,  fair  complexion ;  occupation,  teacher,  citizenship  U. 
S.  Delivered  at  Chicago.  Illinois,  this  31st  day  of  August,  1919. 
Character:  Excellent.  R.  E.  Walker,  Captain  Ret'd  U.  S.  M.  C, 
Commanding  Marines. 

MILITARY  HISTORY. 

Applied  for  enlistment  June,  1917,  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Previous 
service:  None.  Noncommissioned  officer:  Corporal  2/5/18.  Pri- 
vate 11/20/18.  Marksmanship  qualification — None.  Sea  Service: 
U.  S.  S.  Von  Steuben,  Oct.  24,  1917,  to  Nov.  19,  1917.  Foreign  Ser- 
vice: Served  with  83rd  Co.  6th  Regt.  U.  S.  M.  C,  A.  E.  F.  France. 
Battles,  Engagements,  Skirmishes,  Expeditions : 

(Record  is  incomplete  on  account  of  it  being  lost). 

Wounded  in  action  June  6,  1918.  Military  efficiency:  Excellent. 
Obedience :  Excellent.  Sobriety :  Excellent.  Remarks :  Service 
Honest  and  Faithful.  Honorable  discharge  button  delivered.  Was 
given  opportunity  to  consult  with  a  representative  of  the  Federal 
Board  for  Vocational  Education  prior  to  discharge.  Mileage  paid  to 
St.  Louis,  Mo.  Paid  in  full.  One  Hundred  forty-four  and  10/100 
Dollars.  R.  E.  Walker,  Captain  Ret'd  U.  S.  M.  C,  Commanding 
Marines. 


53 


HENI^Y  EDWARD  HENKHAUS 

Henry  Edward  Henkhaus,  better  known  to  his  friends  as  Ed. 
Henkhaus,  and  by  which  name  he  will  be  known  in  this  story,  was  the 
son  of  Henry  and  Julia  Henkhaus.  He  was  born  in  Foster  Township, 
not  far  from  Bethalto,  September  25,  1892.  The  parents  were  both 
born  in  Madison  County  in  1860.  When  Ed.  was  seven  years  of  age 
the  family  moved  to  Alton  where  he  attended  St.  Mary's  Parochial 
school ;  and  for  a  while  attended  the  public  school  of  Alton.  Like 
his  parents,  being  used  to  a  healthy  country  atmosphere,  Ed.  soon 
grew  tired  of  indoor  life  at  school  and  yearned  for  activity. 

Thus  it  happened  he  went  to  work  for  the  Illinois  Glass  Com- 
pany when  quite  young.  Even  this  life  was  too  irksome  for  one  born 
and  raised  where  life  was  free  and  activity  unpent ;  so  as  he  grew 
older  he  longed  for  that  freedom  that  only  the  Western  United  States 
can  give.  He  went  as  it  is  commonly  called  "West."  He  traveled 
through  Kansas,  Colorado,  Iowa,  Michigan,  Wisconsin  and  other 
Western  States  more  than  six  years,  earning  his  way ;  for  activity, 
freedom  and  sobriety  were  parts  of  his  make-up ;  on  account  of  these 
qualifications  he  made  friends  wherever  he  went,  for  these  are  the 
qualifications  that  form  the  backbone  of  our  good  citizens  of  Illinois 
and  the  West. 

Ed.  was  employed  at  the  Federal  Lead  Plant  when  he  enlisted 
in  the  Marine  Corps  at  St.  Louis,  Friday,  December  13,  1917.  He 
was  sent  to  Paris  Island,  S.  C,  reaching  that  place  about  the  middle 
of  December,  1917.  He  was  placed  in  the  79th  company  U.  S. 
Marines.  Here  he  received  the  training  that  fitted  him  for  the  duties 
that  lay  before  him.  Here  his  previous  outdoor  exercise,  his  love 
of  excitement,  came  in  handy ;  for  hiking,  drilling,  and  bayonet  prac- 
tice, although  of  the  most  intensive  kind,  suited  his  nature;  for  his 
physical  make-up  was  of  such  kind  that  he  could  endure  all  the  hard- 
ships imposed  upon  him. 

Ed.  qualified  as  marksman  at  Paris  Island,  thus  increasing  his 
pay.  Ed.  and  Elmer  Olthoff,  whose  description  is  found  in  this  book, 
were  on  Paris  Island  at  the  same  time,  Ed.  having  arrived  about  a 
week  later  than  Elmer.  They  were  together  much  of  the  time,  al- 
though Elmer  was  in  the  64th  company,  and  Ed.  in  the  70th.  They 
were  sent  to  Quantico,  Va.,  from  Paris  Island  at  the  same  time.  The 
second  replacement  battalion  was  formed  at  Quantico  and  Ed.  was 
placed  in  the  139th  company  and  Elmer  in  the  137th. 

Again,  at  Quantico  training  continued,  for  the  word  "Replace- 
ment" battalion  told  them  that  they  were  soon  to  take  the  places  of 
those  who  had  died  or  had  been  wounded  on  the  field  of  battle.     The 

54 


137th,  138th  and  139th  companies  were  consigned  for  overseas  duty 
and  the  three  companies  left  Ouantico  together  and  sailed  on  the  same 
boat  immediately  after  getting  off  the  train  at  Philadelphia. 

Besides  letters  written  to  home  folks,  probably  the  last  letter 
written  in  this  country  by  him  was  written  to  a  friend  in  Bethalto  on 
the  seventh  of  March,  1918.  In  this  letter  he  writes  of  the  beautiful 
life  at  Quantico  in  comparison  to  the  life  on  Paris  Island ;  he  speaks 
of  his  disdain  for  a  slacker;  and  states  that  he  also  had  a  few  pacihst 
tendencies  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  but  since  he  understood  the 
situation  in  a  real  light  the  time  for  such  thoughts  is  past ;  and  if  he 
never  comes  back  it  is  certainly  better  than  to  be  a  slacker ;  and  be- 
sides in  a  time  of  emergency  like  this  our  country  needs  us.  He 
states  the  military  training  comes  easy  to  him  on  account  of  the 
strenuous  exercise  he  has  had  in  the  past.  He  is  glad  that  he  joined 
the  Marines  for  they  become  the  best  disciplined  body  of  men  in  the 
whole  army ;  he  writes  that  he  wants  to  be  the  first  in  the  fight  and 
he  knows  the  Marines  must  face  the  real  phase  of  the  war ;  he  knows 
also  that  the  Marines  will  remain  in  this  country  but  a  short  time,  and 
there  will  be  no  time  for  a  furlough,  and  therefore  asks  friends  to  pray 
that  all  may  end  well. 

With  that  feeling  in  his  heart,  with  that  depressed  yet  cheerful 
spirit,  he  boarded  the  troop  ship  U.  S.  Henderson  which  was  ex- 
clusively used  to  transport  U.  S.  Marines.  He  boarded  the  ship  on 
the  12th  day  of  March,  and  landed  at  Brest,  France,  on  the  26th  day 
of  March,  1918.  As  soon  as  the  137th,  138th  and  139th  landed  they 
were  sent  to  the  famous  Napoleon  Barracks  made  famous  for  having 
been  used  as  a  military  prison  in  the  Napoleonic  days,  and  having 
been  built  more  than  a  hundred  years  ago.  They  rem.ained  there  but 
a  day  and  a  night  and  again  marched  to  Brest  where  they  boarded 
trains  for  somewhere  in  France.  They  stopped  at  Cham-Pla  and  re- 
mained there  for  four  days  when  again  on  the  seventh  day  of  April 
they  started  out  to  go  still  farther  east,  for  Cham-Pla  was  too  small 
for  such  a  great  number  of  Marines.  This  time  they  hiked  to  Cou- 
Blanc  where  they  received  intensive  training,  such  as  climbing  a 
mountain,  and  marching  around  it ;  doing  rifle  practice  and  anything 
that  would  make  a  toughened  Marine  still  tougher.  Gas  drills  were 
frequent  and  bayonet  practice  was  fierce. 

At  Cou-Blanc  the  three  companies  received  their  helmets  and 
hobnailed  shoes.  Here  the  three  companies  split  up,  going  in  differ- 
ent directions  to  fill  up  the  gaps  that  had  been  made  in  the  ranks  of 
the  Marines  that  had  gone  before  them ;  so  it  happened  that  the  boys 
of  the  137th  and  139th  parted.       It  was    then  that    Elmer  and    Ed. 

55 


parted,  bidding  each  other  a  last  farewell.  The  boys  w6re  scattered 
to  different  sectors,  Elmer  going  east  of  Paris,  and  Ed.  remaining 
northwest  and  west  of  Paris.  Elmer  was  placed  in  the  5th  U.  S. 
Marines  and  Ed.  in  the  6th,  these  two  companies  making  up  part  of  the 
Second  Division. 

On  Decoration  Day  word  was  received  that  the  Germans  were 
breaking  through  at  Chateau  Thierry  and  if  successful  would  en- 
danger the  city  of  Paris,  where  were  located  the  ammunition  works 
and  all  other  factories  manufacturing  war  material  and  supplies.  This 
drive  must  be  stopped  immediately  and  the  Fifth  Regiment  was  sent 
to  Chateau  Thierry  and  the  Sixth  to  a  town  called  Lucy,  near  Belleau 
Wood.  Chateau  Thierry  was  being  evacuated,  old  and  young  were 
fleeing  from  the  entire  sector,  even  the  French  soldiers  were  seen 
fleeing  from  the  scene,  for  the  enemy  greatly  outnumbered  them. 

It  was  to  this  place  since  made  famous  the  world  over,  it  was  at 
this  place  the  Sixth  Regiment  stood  fast,  saying  "they  shall  not  pass !" 
It  was  at  this  place  the  Sixth  Regiment  stopped  the  enemy  when  they 
were  not  ready  to  stop ;  here  Ed.  was  in  the  thickest  of  the  fray  the 
history  of  which  you  will  read  some  day ;  sufficient  to  know  in  this 
connection  that  both  Ed.  Henkhaus  and  Ed.  Bowman  were  wounded 
while  gallantly  fighting.  During  these  nineteen  hours  of  continuous 
fighting  through  the  hot  summer  day  the  Marines  succeeded  in  doing 
what  they  had  set  out  to  do ;  although  the  American  casualties  were 
heavy  and  their  ranks  rapidly  diminishing  the  trained  Bavarians  and 
Saxons  were  taught  that  they  cannot  outfight  the  supposedly  un- 
trained American  soldier.  Ed.  Henkhaus  was  not  wounded  as  seri- 
ously as  Ed.  Bowman,  for  on  the  11th  of  June,  1918,  a  card  was  writ- 
ten in  Paris  and  mailed  on  the  13th  to  Edith  Henkhaus,  his  sister,  say- 
ing that  Ed.  Henkhaus  has  asked  to  have  a  letter  written  to  his  sister 
saying  that  he  was  slightly  wounded  in  the  left  side  and  would  write 
as  soon  as  he  reached  the  hospital, — that  he  was  feeling  fine,  and  that 
he  sent  his  love.     Signed :     An  American  Girl. 

On  June  8th,  Ed.  wrote  to  a  friend  as  follows :  It  has  been  a 
long  time  since  I  heard  from  the  folks.  I  don't  know  whether  they 
are  living  or  dead.  I  am  in  the  hospital  in  Paris  with  a  small  shell 
wound  in  my  left  side.  I  am  not  in  a  serious  condition  and  will  be 
ready  to  go  back  within  a  few  days.  I  have  heard  nothing  from  any- 
body since  I  left  Paris  Island  more  than  four  moriths  ago.  Paris  is 
a  dandy  place,  I  saw  it  from  a  Red  Cross  ambulance.  The  Americans 
are  doing  some  fighting,  believe  me !  Marines  always  on  top.  I 
lost  my  old  pal,  "Red"  (Elmer  Olthoff)  after  we  got  to  France,  but  he 
has  joined  some  company  by  this  time.      They  took  187  out  of  our 

56 


Replacement  Battalion  and  after  that  I  lost  track  of  him.  How  I 
would  love  to  see  home  and  mother.  I  feel  they  are  praying  for  me 
and  with  that  feeling  in  my  heart  I  feel  comfort.  Wishing  I  could 
hear  from  you,  I  am,  with  love  to  all, 

Your  friend,  Ed. 

Little  did  Ed.  dream  how  near  his  pal  "Red"  was  when  he  was 
wounded,  although  he  did  not  see  him,  and  little  did  he  dream  how 
near  they  would  be  to  each  other  soon  after  this.  It  is  better  thus. 
It  cannot  be  definitely  stated  how  long  Ed.  was  in  the  hospital,  but  we 
know  he  soon  recovered  from  the  shell  wound  that  he  received  at 
Chateau  Thierry.  The  5th  and  6th  regiments  were  sent  to  the  Sois- 
sens  Sector  after  the  enemy  had  been  defeated  there  and  at  Belleau 
Wood.  After  Ed.  recovered  from  the  wound  he  received  he  returned 
to  his  company  which  was  by  that  time  occupying  the  Soissens  Sector. 

The  Germans  were  well  entrenched  in  this  region  and  the  French 
could  not  disengage  them,  so  it  was,  as  before,  up  to  the  Marines  to 
do  it.  The  first  effort  was  made  on  the  18th  of  July,  the  5th  regiment 
taking  the  lead.  Over  the  top  they  went.  The  onslaught  was  too 
much  for  the  enemy  and  they  had  to  retreat  to  other  fortified  places 
only  to  be  driven  out  by  the  6th  regiment  who  "leap  frogged"  the  5th. 

Only  a  few  words  describe  this  awful  episode,  but  it  ended  the 
fighting  for  one  Bethalto  boy — for  one  member  of  the  5th  regiment, 
and  almost  for  one  member  of  the  6th  regiment  of  the  U.  S.  Marines. 
Here  again  Ed.  and  Elmer  were  near  each  other  but  did  not  know  it. 

Although  many  lives  were  lost  in  this  fight,  which  lasted  from 
the  18th  of  July  to  the  21st  of  July,  but  two  from  here  took  part  in 
this  fray  to  the  glory  of  our  community  with  the  result  that  one  is 
wearing  a  wound  stripe  and  the  parents  and  relatives  of  the  other  are 
praying  that  the  gold  star  turn  to  blue.  The  rest  of  this  story  is 
taken  from  telegrams  and  other  reports. 

On  the  14th  of  August,  1918,  Julia  Henkhaus  received  a  telegram, 
which  read  as  follows:  Regret  to  inform  you  that  cablegram  from 
abroad  advises  that  Private  Henry  Edward  Henkhaus,  Marine  Corps, 
was  wounded  in  action,  degree  undetermined,  July  19th.  No  further 
particulars  available.  Official  cablegram  cannot  be  sent  asking  about 
his  condition,  but  you  will  be  notified  should  any  details  be  received. 
George  Barnett,  Maj.  Gen.  Commanding. 

On  October  1,  1919,  Julia  Henkhaus  received  the  following 
telegram :  Deeply  regret  to  inform  you  cablegram  from  abroad  states 
that  Private  Henry  Edward  Henkhaus,  Marine  Corps,  died  July  19th 
of  wound  received  in  action.  Remains  will  be  interred  abroad  until 
end  of  the  war.      Accept  my  sincere  sympathy  in   your   great    loss. 

57 


Your  son  nobly  gave  his  life  in  service  of  his  country.      Charles    G. 
Long,  Brigadier  General. 

The  following  letter  was  received  by  Mrs.  Julia  Henkhaus  and 
dated  December,  1918.  The  American  Red  Cross  National  Head- 
quarters, Washington,  D.  C.  Bureau  of  Communication :  Dear  Mrs. 
Henkhaus :  You  have  no  doubt  been  officially  notified  of  the  death 
of  your  son,  Henry  E.  Henkhaus,  75th  company,  5th  Marines.  I 
am  told  in  a  report  dated  November  15th,  that  he  received  a  shell 
wound  in  his  neck  on  July  18th,  from  the  effects  of  which  he  died  on 
the  20th.  He  was  buried  at  Niel  cemetery,  Ozrion,  and  his  grave  is 
number  566.  I  hope  your  pride  in  the  brave  soldier's  valiant  defense 
of  humanity  will  in  time  soften  your  grief.  His  country  will  always 
honor  him  and  you  for  the  great  sacrifice  you  have  made.  Please  ac- 
cept the  deepest  sympathy  of  the  Red  Cross  in  your  loss.  Sincerely 
yours,  W.  R.  Castle,  Jr. 

Florence  T.  Ossmun  in  the  New  York  Herald  expresses  the  senti- 
ment of  a  brave  mother  which  exemplifies  the  character  of  Ed's  mother 
and  is  appropriate.       The  poem,  written  since  the  war,  is  called : 

I  SHALL  BE  BRAVE. 

I  shall  not  be  embittered  on  that  day 

When  other  mothers'  hearts  are  beating  high 

With  joy  of  homing  boys  and  mine  not  by ; 

I'll  join  them  in  their  welcomes  blithe  and  gay, 

Nor  let  my  burdened  spirit  once  give  way ; 

I'll  shout  and  cheer  and  share  with  them  their  joy. 

These  happy  mothers,  each  with  her  own  boy. 

And  then  when  I'm  alone  I'll  think  and  pray. 

Remembering  how  always  mine  was  brave 

And  stood  until  the  last,  when  all  the  rest. 

Nor  turned  aside  when  danger  round  him  pressed, 

(God  bless  him !)     I  can  see  him  now,  my  boy. 

Full  well  I  knew  he'd  stand  the  crucial  test ; 

That  day  for  his  dear  sake  I  shall  be  brave. 


WALTER  WULF. 


Walter  Wulf,  son  of  Anton  and  Fannie  Wulf,  was  born  in  Foster 
Township  August  8,  1895.  The  parents  moved  to  Bethalto  when 
Walter  was  seven  years  of  age.       He  attended  the  Bethalto  school 


58 


until  he  completed  the  eighth  grade.  After  he  quit  school  he  worked 
for  a  year  and  a  half  at  the  Western  Cartridge  Company  and  nearly 
five  years  for  F.  V.  Mutz  at  Wood  River. 

In  May,  1917,  shortly  after  war  was  declared,  Walter  went  to  St. 
Louis  to  enlist  in  the  Marines.  On  account  of  his  perfect  physical 
condition  he  was  at  once  accepted.  No  one  knew  he  was  going  and 
the  home  folks  did  not  know  anything  about  it  until  he  was  sworn  in 
May  16,  at  Paris  Island,  S.  C,  when  he  ordered  all  his  clothes  to  be 
sent  home.  Walter  was  the  first  to  leave  from  Bethalto ;  and  within 
one  day  the  last  one  to  return,  thus  making  his  service  the  longest  one 
of  the  Bethalto  boys. 

After  Walter  was  sworn  in  he  was  put  in  Drill  Co.  17  F.  Paris 
Island  was  at  this  time  not  prepared  to  take  care  of  more  than  1000 
Marines,  but  the  volunteers  were  many  and  5,000  arrived  at  once.  St. 
Louis  was  the  receiving  station  for  the  West,  South  and  Middle  West, 
and  Atlanta,  Ga.,  was  the  receiving  station  for  the  Southeast  and  the 
North.  When  Walter  reached  the  Island  there  was  but  one  barracks 
there,  the  rest  were  tents ;  and  on  account  of  the  great  numbers  flock- 
ing in  they  crowded  12  men  in  a  tent  when  it  should  hold  but  4.  In- 
stead of  having  one  cook  for  each  company  they  had  one  for  three 
companies. 

After  Walter  had  been  in  Drill  Co.  three  days  he  was  ordered  to 
pack  up,  take  a  seven-mile  hike  to  the  maneuvering  ground  where  he 
remained  10  days  learning  the  drill  formations.  Instead  of  guns  they 
drilled  with  sticks,  reeds,  etc.  Later  on  they  received  rifles.  After 
ten  days  drilling  he  was  sent  to  the  main  station.  On  account  of  the 
shortage  of  cooks  and  messmen  they  called  for  52  volunteers  for  those 
positions.  It  was  understood  by  the  volunteers  that  they  would  get 
to  go  overseas  with  the  old  bunch.  Walter  was  one  of  the  volunteers, 
but  it  was  only  a  ruse,  and  the  old  bunch  left  leaving  behind  a  bunch 
of  52  disappointed  volunteers.  Of  course  Walter  received  $5.00 
extra  pay,  but  by  the  time  he  paid  for  the  broken  dishes  he  had  very 
little  of  his  extra  pay  left. 

He  remained  at  Headquarters  Detachment  from  the  3rd  of  June, 
1917,  until  the  11th  of  September,  1918.  A  messman  or  a  cook  for 
15^  months  meant  drudgery  for  Walter,  but  as  he  had  not  finished  all 
the  training  he  could  not  leave.  He  finally  succeeded  and  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  369th  Co.  which  was  just  being  recruited  and  he  had  to 
go  through  the  whole  motion  again.  He  remained  there  until  the 
latter  part  of  October,  when  he  was  sent  to  Stragglers'  Camp,  where 
he  waited  to  be  assigned. 

59 


He  was  on  the  rifle  range  twice ;  the  first  time  in  May,  1918,  when 
he  made  234  out  of  300  thus  becoming  marksman.  The  second  time 
he  made  258  out  of  300  and  he  should  have  become  expert  rifleman, 
but  no  record  was  given  because  this  was  twice  in  the  same  year. 

On  October  29th  he  was  transferred  to  Quantico,  Va.,  with  400 
men.  On  his  way  he  received  his  first  and  only  experience  of  hunger. 
A  train  wreck  caused  their  delay  and  one  day's  rations  did  not  go  far 
enough  in  a  delay  of  several  days.  But  nothing  serious  happened 
and  he  reached  Quantico,  Va.,  where  he  was  put  in  10th  Co.  Separate 
Replacement  Battalion. 

They  turned  in  everything  and  drew  overseas  equipment  and 
were  ready  to  leave  on  the  3rd  of  November.  The  transport  was  pre- 
pared but  the  night  before  they  were  to  leave  orders  came  to  hold  up 
all  troop  movements.  No  more  combat  troops  left  after  the  second 
of  November.  He  was  transferred  to  Barracks  Detachment  but 
finally  got  a  chance  to  be  transferred  and  was  sent  to  Washington,  D. 
C,  a  day  before  Thanskiving,  where  he  did  guard  duty  from  Novem- 
ber, 1918,  until  he  was  discharged  in  October,  1919.  On  the  8th  of 
October,  1919,  he  was  transferred  to  the  Navy  Yard  where  he  was  to 
do  guard  duty.  He  was  there  until  the  16th,  and  did  guard  duty  one 
night  when  he  received  orders  to  get  ready  to  be  discharged. 

Walter  was  in  the  Marines  a  long  time ;  he  had  his  first  furlough 
Nov.  5th  to  20th,  1917.  While  away  he  met  a  number  of  his  ac- 
quaintances, among  whom  were  Ed.  Bowman,  Elmer  Olthoff,  Ed. 
Henkhaus,  Mr.  Boynton  and  Pete  Wulf.  These  he  met  on  Paris 
Island.  He  met  Kitzmiller,  of  Alton,  in  the  hospital  at  Washington. 
Walter  served  his  country  faithfully ;  he  obeyed  orders  and  when  he 
failed  to  cross  the  waters  with  the  other  boys  the  work  became  a 
drudgery ;  but  he  was  a  unit  in  the  great  force  and  remained  until  he 
finally  succeeded  in  receiving  his  discharge. 

UNITED  STATES  MARINE  CORPS. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern:  Know  ye,  that  Walter  C.  Wulf,  a 
private  of  the  U.  S.  Marine  Corps,  who  was  enlisted  the  16th  day  of 
May,  1917,  at  M.  B.  Port  Royal,  S.  C,  to  serve  for  the  duration  of  the 
war,  is  hereby  honorably  discharged.  By  special  order  of  the  Major 
General  Commandant.     8791-27  A-2  E.  Z.  F.  10-8-19. 

Said  Walter  C.  Wulf  was  born  August  8,  1895,  at  Foster  Town- 
ship, 111.,  and  when  enlisted  he  was  66  1-4  inches  high,  with  blue  eyes, 
dark  brown  hair,  ruddy  complexion ;  occupation,  grocery  clerk ;  citizen- 
ship U.  S.  Accepted  for  enlistment  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Given  under 
my  hand  and  delivered  at  M.  B.  Navy  Yard,  Washington,  D.  C,  this 

60 


16th  day  of  October,  1919.  Paid  in  full,  $180.59.  Character:  Ex- 
cellent. P.  W.  Rixey,  Lieut-Colonel  U.  S.  M.  C.  Commanding 
Marines. 

MILITARY  RECORD. 

Previous  Service:  None  claimed.  Promotions  and  reductions: 
None.  Marksmanship  qualifications  :  Marksman  M.  C.  Q.  200  series 
1918.  Sea  service :  None.  Foreign  Service :  None.  Wounds  re- 
ceived in  service  :  None.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes,  expedi- 
tions :  None.  Military  efficiency,  very  good.  Obedience :  Excellent. 
Sobriety  :  Excellent.  Remarks  :  Service  "honest  and  faithful."  And 
H.  D.  B.  mileage  paid  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Paid  $60.00  bonus,  act  of 
Congress,  2-24-19.  P.  W.  Rixey,  Lieut.-Colonel,  U.  S.  M.  C.  Com- 
manding Marines. 


ANDREW  SANDERS. 

Andrew  Sanders,  son  of  Fred  and  Hannah  Sanders,  was  born  in 
Fort  Russell  Township  about  four  miles  east  of  Bethalto  Nov.  13, 
1895.  He  is  a  brother  to  Fred,  whose  description  is  found  in  this 
book.  Andrew  received  his  education  at  the  Liberty  Prairie  school 
and  worked  on  the  farm  at  home  until  America  entered  the  World 
War,  and  Andrew  yearned  for  activity.  Without  the  knowledge  of 
his  parents,  who  had  already  given  one  son,  Andrew  went  to  St. 
Louis,  December  21,  1917,  and  at  once  enlisted  in  the  Marines.  He 
went  to  Miami,  Florida,  where  the  usual  Marine  life  was  learned.  He 
made  a  record  of  264  out  of  300  shots  and  on  account  of  his  vigorous 
youth  and  perfect  health  he  became  a  model  Marine.  He  was  at 
Paris  Island  but  a  week. 

Andrew  was  in  the  first  Marine  aviation  corps  and  acted  as  dis- 
patch rider.  On  the  5th  of  July,  1918,  Andrew  with  2200  others  left 
the  U.  S.  shore  on  the  DeKalb  and  sailed  for  Brest,  France,  where 
they  landed  on  the  16th.  After  landing  at  Brest  they  took  the  French 
box  car  ride  that  every  soldier  knows  something  about  and  rode  to 
Dunkirk.  He  was  under  the  U.  S.  Navy  command  and  like  many  an- 
other he  suffered  pangs  of  hunger  many  a  time,  and  the  food  was  often 
very  poor.  Beans  and  hardtack  were  the  principal  articles  of  diet ; 
besides  as  the  boys  received  their  pay  irregularly  it  was  not  possible 
to  have  a  good  time  when  there  was  a  chance. 

On  July  28th,  1918,  they  went  to  the  front  in  Belgium.  From 
that  time  on  the  work  commenced.  Andrew's  duties  varied.  He 
made  22  trips  in  aeroplanes.  He  participated  in  many  air  raids,  his 
principal  duty  being  that  of   dropping  and    throwing   bombs.       His 

61 


principal  duty,  however,  was  that  of  riding  an  Indian  motorcycle,  or 
riding  in  an  aeroplane  carrying  dispatches  to  and  from  headquarters. 
The  story,  though  told  in  a  few  words,  meant  much  while  Andrew  was 
with  the  U.  S.  M.  C.  U.  S.  Naval  Aviation  Forces  in  Belgium.  He 
served  satisfactorily  and  arrived  home  safe  after  the  war. 

Andrew  was  15  days  in  crossing  the  water  the  second  time,  and 
reached  Newport  News,  Va.,  on  the  21st  of  December,  1918,  just  one 
year  from  the  day  he  applied  at  St.  Louis.  The  last  he  saw  of  France 
was  St.  Nazaire.  He  had  received  but  one  letter  from  home  while 
in  France,  and  one  from  his  brother  Fred,  who  told  him  that  he  was 
at  the  Argonne  Forest.  The  sad  news  of  his  brother's  death  did  not 
reach  him  until  he  arrived  home. 

After  a  year's  rough  sailing  and  coming  out  of  it  unscratched  and 
learning  the  sad  news  at  the  end  of  the  journey  was  indeed  hard  to 
bear.  The  brothers  have  won  honors  that  will  live  while  our  country 
lives.  They  went  forth  to  do  their  bit,  and  the  nation  honors  them 
for  it. 


ELMER  A.  ELLIOTT. 

Elmer  A.  Elliott,  son  of  Will  and  Catherine  Elliott,  was  born  in 
Bethalto,  Nov.  13,  1898.  He  attended  the  Bethalto  public  school  un- 
til he  completed  the  eighth  grade  work,  after  which  time  he  remained 
at  home  and  worked  for  the  Western  Cartridge  Co.  at  East  Alton. 
Elmer's  grandfather  Elliott,  a  typical  American,  was  a  Civil  War  vet- 
eran, having  served  through  the  entire  war.  His  grandfather,  Jean 
Cherrier,  was  a  typical  Frenchman  and  had  served  in  the  French  army 
fourteen  years,  after  which  time  he  came  to  America,  married  an 
American  girl  and  thus  becoming  an  American  citizen.  Elmer  had 
the  spirit  all  right  when  war  was  declared  between  United  States  and 
Germany,  and  he  went  to  St.  Louis  to  enlist  in  the  navy  when  he  was 
barely  eighteen  years  old ;  he  tried  but  once  for  his  physical  make-up 
was  perfect  and  of  such  a  nature  that  he  was  accepted  at  once;  this 
was  on  the  third  of  December,  1917,  and  by  the  seventh  he  was  on  his 
way  to  Great  Lakes  Training  School,  situated  about  thirty  miles  north 
of  Chicago. 

He  was  placed  in  Co.  I,  4th  Regiment,  and  began  drilling  at  once 
and  learning  the  duties  of  a  sailor  and  receiving  instructions  in  the 
duties  pertaining  to  seamanship,  spending  three  months  in  this  line  of 
work,  and  for  the  next  two  months  he  did  guard  duty — a  duty  pain- 
fully familiar  to  every  soldier,  seaman  or  Marine ;  for  guard  duty  is 
the  secret  of  success  to  Americanism.      Elmer  had  a  long  spell  of  it 

62 


after  which  time  he  received  a  furlough  of  twelve  days.  This  was 
in  the  latter  part  of  April,  1918;  returning  for  duty  on  the  third  of 
May.  He  was  then  transferred  to  New  York  where  he  remained  but 
a  week  when  he  was  put  aboard  a  ship  in  the  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard. 

Here  he  received  more  training  in  seamanship,  which  consisted  of 
guard  duty,  rope  climbing,  painting,  scrubbing  decks,  etc.,  he  had  been 
placed  on  the  West  Gate,  an  American  freighter  that  was  being  used 
to  carry  army  supplies  to  Europe,  and  as  there  was  at  that  time  noth- 
ing that  could  be  returned  the  West  Gate  often  returned  with  sand  for 
ballast. 

On  June  7th  Elmer  left  New  York  harbor  on  the  West  Gate  in  a 
convoy  of  about  eighteen  ships,  all  freighters.  On  her  first  trip  across 
she  began  to  have  engine  trou1:)le  and  had  to  stop  at  St.  Johns,  New- 
foundland, for  repairs  while  the  others  went  on.  After  repairs  had 
been  made  she  started  off  alone  through  the  submarine-infested  area 
and  although  a  slow  traveler  no  submarine  was  sighted  and  she 
reached  St.  Nazaire  all  right,  but  she  was  thirty  days  in  crossing.  The 
freighter  was  unloaded  and  soon  returned  to  the  United  States  for 
more  supplies.  As  had  been  the  habit  of  the  Germans,  the  greatest 
trouble  with  submarines  was  on  the  return  voyage,  so  it  happened 
that  two  submarines  gave  chase ;  one  was  disposed  of  on  the  third  of 
July,  but  the  other  followed  that  evening  and  all  night,— nobody  slept 
that  night ;  the  West  Gate  was  alone,  the  night  was  dark  and  no  lights 
aboard.  Everybody  clung  to  their  life  belts.  Thus  the  shivering 
night  went  slowly  by ;  and  at  daybreak  the  periscope  could  again  be 
plainly  seen.  When  the  "sub"  would  dive  a  spray  of  water  like  a 
whirlwind  could  be  seen  above  the  water  and  if  she  rose  too  near  the 
surface  her  periscope  could  be  detected.  Many  shots  were  fired  at  the 
submarine  and  she  finally  disappeared  and  was  seen  no  more,  so  the 
West  Gate  reached  New  York  harbor  in  safety. 

The  second  time  she  loaded  up  again  and  in  a  convoy  of  six 
freighters  she  crossed  again ;  and  again  she  unloaded  her  cargo  of 
army  supplies.  This  was  about  the  last  of  August.  She  reached 
home  safe  again,  was  loaded  with  valuable  war  material,  aeroplanes, 
etc.,  and  in  a  convoy  of  ten  freighters,  each  hauling  supplies,  she 
started  to  cross  again. 

The  West  Gate  had  never  been  in  first  class  condition  and  each 
time  on  her  return  trip  had  to  have  some  work  done  on  her.  During 
these  trips  Elmer  would  pass  coal  or  do  guard  duty,  and  on  her  return 
trip  the  second  time  he  had  helped  carry  wounded  soldiers  who  were 
returning  to  the  United  States.  Things  went  on  smoothly  on  the 
third  trip  and  it  seemed  as  if  it  was  going  to  be  an  uneventful  one. 

63 


Elmer  was  doing-  guard  duty  on  the  fourth  night  out.  He  and 
his. partner  were  guarding  the  engine  room  when  at  2  :30  in  the  morn- 
ing something  crashed  into  the  West  Gate  which  threw  both  the 
watchers  across  the  room ;  they  picked  themselves  up  thinking  they 
had  rammed  something ;  but  instead  of  that  the  American  ship  in  the 
convoy  had  struck  the  West  Gate  astern.  The  night  was  pitch  dark, 
no  lights  dared  to  be  shown,  and  as  the  rudder  of  the  West  Gate  was 
not  working  very  well  she  had  gradually  gone  out  of  her  course  which 
caused  the  American  to  ram  her. 

As  soon  as  Elmer  had  got  on  his  feet  he  heard  men  on  deck ;  he 
heard  the  men  get  out  of  their  bunks,  he  heard  the  siren  blow  and  he 
heard  the  call  to  abandon  the  ship ;  all  this  he  heard  in  a  very  short 
space  of  time.  He  heard  the  order  to  put  out  the  fire  and  to  turn  off 
the  steam.  The  West  Gate  had  been  struck  a  glance  lick  but  the  blow 
was  fatal.  The  engine  room  was  in  the  center  of  the  ship,  conse- 
quently Elmer  remained  unhurt  and  was  able  to  put  out  the  fire  and 
turn  off  the  steam.  The  ship  was  an  oil  steamer  and  with  the  oil 
turned  off,  steam  pouring  out  and  at  the  same  time  cold  water  pouring 
in  there  was  little  danger  of  her  exploding.  By  this  time  the  water 
was  creeping  into  the  engine  room ;  it  was  soon  up  to  their  knees  and 
the  boys  went  on  deck,  for  the  order  to  man  the  life-boats  had  been 
given. 

Elmer  and  his  partner  reached  deck  safely,  but  to  their  dismay 
the  life  boats  were  all  gone ;  the  ship  was  abandoned,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  good  old  Captain  Vandervoort  and  six  of  the  crew,  including 
Elmer.  The  captain  stood  on  deck  with  a  flash  light,  all  the  light  to 
be  seen  anywhere.  Nothing  could  be  done,  with  the  boats  gone,  but 
to  wait  and  let  her  sink  for  she  was  fast  settling  down.  There  was 
a  life-raft  on  deck  and  the  captain  and  his  crew  of  six  got  on  the  raft 
and  waited  for  results,  which  was  of  short  duration  for  just  sixteen 
minutes  after  the  America  had  given  her  the  fatal  blow  she  sank  be- 
neath the  waves. 

The  sinking  was  an  easy  matter  and  if  everything  had  worked 
as  it  should  the  men  would  simply  have  drifted  away,  but  the  life-raft 
got  caught  in  the  rigging  and  as  Elmer  clung  to  the  raft  he  naturally 
followed  the  ship ;  but  as  that  would  not  do  he  let  go  his  hold  and  with 
the  assistance  of  his  life-belt  he  soon  came  to  the  surface.  The  raft 
had  in  the  meantime  extricated  itself  and  she  came  to  the  surface  and 
Elmer  was  the  first  to  take  advantage  of  it ;  soon  others  bobbed  their 
heads  out  of  the  water  and  caught  the  raft,  but  the  captain  was  no- 
where to  be  seen,  although  they  could  hear  him  above  the  roar  of 
the  waves.      A  radio  shack  had  broke  loose  from  the  West  Gate,  and 

64 


GEORGE  HARMONING 

18th  Recruit  Company 
General  Service  Infantry 


CHARLES   H.   BARTELS 

Corp.  15th  Co.,  14th  Bn. 
159th  D.B. 


JOHN  H.  WEYEN 

(Deceased) 
343rd  Fire  and  Guard  Company 


GEORGE  HUMM 

Sgt.  619  Aero  Squadron 


LESLIE    E.    PREHN 

Bn.  Sgt.  Maj.,  Headquarters  Co. 
327th  Field  Artillery 


FRANK  DRISCOLL 

Battery  F 
327th  Field  Artillery 


HENRY  CARROLL  ZIMMERMANN 

Bugler,  Headquarters  Co. 

327th  Field  Artillery 


GENE  McCRACKEN 
Sgt.  110th  Ordnance  Depot  Co. 


the  captain  was  finally  seen  perched  upon  the  cabin  and  as  luck  would 
have  it  the  raft  floated  in  the  direction  of  the  cabin  and  the  captain 
joined  the  party. 

Thus  they  floated  for  eight  hours  in  this  cold  October  night  with 
but  few  clothes  on — an  undershirt,  a  pair  of  overalls  and  a  pair  of 
shoes  was  all  Elmer  had  on.  Morning  dawned,  nothing  in  sight ;  they 
rowed,  they  knew  not  where  nor  why,  but  they  rowed  as  hard  as  they 
could.  The  American  finally  hove  in  sight.  She  had  remained  be- 
hind for  she  was  much  damaged ;  she  had  three  holes  in  her  bow,  but 
her  hatches  had  been  closed,  though  she  listed  to  the  front  she  re- 
mained afloat  and  she  had  already  picked  up  those  in  the  life  boats. 

The  American  had  almost  given  up  the  search  and  the  two  crews 
looked  upon  them  in  amazement  upon  seeing  them  upon  the  raft. 
They  were  all  sick,  for  they  had  swallowed  much  water.  Elmer  was 
the  only  one  who  had  tobacco  and  each  got  a  big  chew  while  they  were 
on  the  raft, — even  the  captain  took  a  share.  In  lowering  one  of  the 
life  boats  of  the  West  Gate  one  of  them  had  capsized  and  they  lost 
four  of  their  men.  two  of  the  crew  had  been  killed  in  their  bunks  and 
one  (the  cook)  had  gone  crazy  the  moment  the  ship  had  been  struck 
and  jumped  overboard  and  was  lost ;  thus  out  of  the  crew  of  125,  seven 
had  lost  their  lives  in  the  sinking  of  the  West  Gate.  The  American 
was  not  in  a  condition  to  proceed,  so  she  turned  off  her  course  and 
sailed  for  Halifax.  N.  S.  They  remained  a  day  and  a  night  at  Hali- 
fax, then  went  to  Digby  Gut  on  the  Bay  of  Fundy ;  there  they  took  a 
passenger  boat  and  went  to  St.  Johns,  New  Brunswick. 

One  lady  passenger  on  the  boat  looked  upon  the  poor  forlorn  boys 
and  pointed  them  out  to  her  friends  and  told  them  they  must  be  Ger- 
man prisoners  for  they  looked  forlorn  and  ragged.  They  were  all 
bare-headed  and  many  were  barefooted  for  they  had  scrambled  out  of 
their  bunks  in  a  hurry.  Upon  being  apprised  of  the  real  truth,  that 
they  were  American  shipwrecked  sailors,  she  came  to  them  and  apolo- 
gized to  the  captain  and  then  had  her  husband  treat  them  to  cigars  and 
refreshments. 

At  St.  Johns,  N.  B.,  they  entrained  for  Boston,  where  their  cap- 
tain left  them  and  went  to  Officers'  Headquarters  at  New  York.  Many 
other  stories  could  be  related  in  connection  with  the  sinking  of  the 
West  Gate,  but  space  forbids.  One  other  queer  incident  is  as  fol- 
lows :  One  fellow  whom  they  called  "Speedy"  on  account  of  his 
droll  way  of  talking  and  his  very  slow  movements,  who  was  on  the 
raft  wMth  the  other  six,  after  he  bobbed  up  out  of  the  water  and  crawl- 
ing upon  the  raft,  wondered  if  Uncle  Sam  would  give  him  a  short  fur- 
lough after  such  an  awful  ducking, 

65 


There  was  among  the  crew  a  pair  of  twins  who  were  always  to- 
gether and  were  never  known  to  be  separated  from  each  other.  They 
ate  together  and  slept  together  and  worked  together;  and  when  the  • 
ship  went  down  and  their  life  boat  had  capsized  they  were  lost  for  a 
time ;  but  upon  break  of  day  they  were  found  sitting  calmly  upon  an 
aeroplane  box  that  had  floated  away  when  the  ship  sank.  It  was  ex- 
pected that  they  had  lost  their  lives,  but  they  were  much  alive  when 
they  w^ere  picked  up. 

After  remaining  in  Boston  a  week  and  drawing  new  clothing  (no 
other  loss  such  as  jewelry  or  money  was  refunded ;  Elmer  lost  $80.00 
in  money,  besides  other  valuables).  They  reached  New  York  on  the 
20th  of  October  where  Elmer  remained  at  the  Navy  Station  Bay 
Ridge  until  the  second  of  February,  1919,  where  he  had  charge  of  a 
boiler  house ;  he  had  four  men  working  under  him  and  he  had  a  fine 
time  while  he  was  there.  On  February  2nd  he  was  put  on  the  U.  S. 
S.  Paysandu,  an  old  German  freighter,  which  had  been  converted  into 
a  troop  ship. 

On  the  morning  of  the  5th  of  February  he  watched  the  soldiers 
debarking  from  the  ship  H.  W.  Mallory  which  had  just  come  back 
from  France  with  her  cargo  of  humanity ;  the  Mallory  was  to  be  El- 
mer's eating  house  while  undergoing  extensive  repairs,  for  she  was 
not  fit  for  the  sea.  Elmer  wondered  how  they  dare  put  such  a  large 
bunch  of  men  on  such  a  frail  old  ship,  little  dreaming  that  she  had 
just  brought  over  the  327th  Field  Artillery,  and  that  while  he  gazed 
at  the  mass  two  of  his  friends  from  Bethalto  were  in  the  throng,  all 
jaded  and  sick.  They  were  Ted  Zimmermann  and  Les  Prehn,  but 
they  were  not  looking  for  any  acquaintances,  but  were  looking  for  a 
place  where  they  could  get  something  to  eat,  so  the  moment  passed. 
The  reason  the  Mallory  was  used  for  a  mess  room  was  the  galley  or 
kitchen  of  the  Paysandu  needed  repairs. 

At  the  end  of  the  month  the  bottom  hold  of  the  Paysandu  was 
filled  with  supplies  and  Elmer  was  once  more  on  the  water.  When 
six  days  out  her  engine  broke  and  they  went  back  to  New  York ;  but 
the  breaking  of  the  engine  retarded  her  speed  to  such  an  extent  that 
it  took  her  ten  days  to  get  back.  At  the  end  of  two  weeks  repairs  had 
been  sufficiently  made  to  try  again.  Traveling  was  better  now  for 
they  could  run  with  lights  burning.  They  reached  France  safely  and 
returned  with  troops,  reaching  Newport  News,  Va.,  safely ;  took  on 
ship's  stores,  crossed  again,  returning  again  with  a  bunch  of  home- 
sicks  and  seasicks.  This  time  they  reached  Norfolk,  Va.,  just  across 
from  Newport  News.  After  remaining  at  Norfolk  a  week  they 
crossed  again  with  a  cargo  of  supplies  and  again  returning  with 
troops;  this  time  the  cargo  consisted  of  half  white  troops  and  half 

66 


colored  troops ;  they  were  also  sick,  but  more  seasick  than  homesick, 
and  to  see  such  a  large  bunch  of  colored  soldiers  so  awful  sick  was  a 
sight  you  don't  want  to  see  every  day.  Elmer  was  never  seasick ; 
he  knew  where  the  pickle  barrels  were.  If  you  stop  a  moment  and 
think  how  a  bunch  of  seasick,  groaning,  colored  troops  look,  all  lying 
on  decks,  you  can  imagine  how  Elmer  felt ;  but  as  always  they  reached 
Newport  News  in  safety ;  the  boys  got  well  and  did  not  appear  much 
worse  off,  but  this  Fourth  of  July  spent  in  such  a  fashion  was  an  un- 
usual one. 

They  reached  port  on  the  13th  of  July.  This  was  the  Paysandu's 
last  trip  for  she  was  put  out  of  commission  and  turned  over  to  the 
merchant  marine.  This  was  also  Elmer's  last  trip,  although  the  crew 
had  got  ready  to  go  to  China  on  another  vessel ;  but  just  at  the  last 
moment  the  order  came  to  discharge  the  whole  crew  and  Elmer  was 
sent  to  Great  Lakes  for  discharge. 

While  Elmer  was  in  the  service  there  were  times  that  passed 
very  slowly  and  to  divert  the  monotony  they  often  had  sparring 
matches  and  as  Elmer  was  a  stout  built  lad  he  soon  became  efficient 
in  boxing,  so  a  great  deal  of  camp  life  was  spent  in  boxing,  etc.  There 
was  no  limited  time  for  the  rounds,  and  it  simply  meant  for  one  to 
wear  the  other  out. 

The  first  real  fight  Elmer  had  was  at  Great  Lakes  when  Jess 
Willard  refereed  the  fight ;  he  knocked  his  opponent  out  in  four  rounds 
but  he  had  to  take  an  awful  beating  to  do  it.  The  second  and  third 
encounters  were  for  six  rounds  each,  and  on  each  occasion  it  was  de- 
clared a  draw.  While  on  board  ship  he  boxed  with  many  a  sailor 
but  for  practice  only.  He  had  one  five-round  bout  with  a  French- 
man whom  he  knocked  out  at  the  end  of  the  fifth  round.  This  was 
the  toughtest  fight  he  had,  for  the  Frenchman  was  a  noted  boxer  and 
only  Elmer's  sheer  weight  and  will  power  won  the  fight  for  him ;  but 
the  Frenchman  was  a  good  fellow  and  much  wine  flowed  at  his  ex- 
pense after  the  fight  and  everybody  was  happy.  These  were  the 
bouts  he  had  before  he  was  shipwrecked.  After  he  returned  to  New 
York  he  trained  under  Billy  Ahearn,  the  champion  boxer  of  Boston. 
Elmer  had  three  more  bouts  while  he  was  in  the  navy ;  the  first  was 
for  six  rounds  with  a  fellow  from  the  Bronx,  which  he  gained  on 
points.  The  second  of  six  rounds  with  a  navy  fellow  which  was  de- 
clared a  draw ;  the  third  a  ten  round  bout  with  a  fellow  from  St.  Louis 
by  the  name  of  Lenhard,  which  also  was  a  draw.  Elmer  could  have 
remained  in  the  navy  and  would  have  had  very  little  work,  but  he 
found  no  pleasure  in  boxing,  and  preparation  for  a  good  match  was 
worse  than  the  duties  of  a  sailor,  so  he  resolved  to  give  up  that  kind 
of  life. 

67 


On  March  4,  1919,  the  Official  U.  S.  Bulletin  contained  an  article 
commending  eight  men  for  bravery  in  emergencies  due  to  an  accident ; 
although  eight  were  commended  only  Elmer's  name  appears  herein. 
It  reads  as  follows :  Secretary  Daniels  has  commended  the  follow- 
ing men  of  the  Navy,  members  of  the  crew  of  the  U.  S.  S.  West  Gate 
when  that  vessel  was  sunk  October  7,  following  a  collision  with  the 
U.  S.  S.  American.  These  men  distinguished  themselves  by  remain- 
ing at  their  posts  in  the  engine  and  fire  rooms  until  the  last  moment, 
when  engine  room  bulkheads  were  carried  away,  taking  every  precau- 
tion to  prevent  the  boilers  exploding.  Elmer  A.  Elliott,  fireman  first 
class.  United  States  Navy ;  father,  William  Elliott,  Bethalto,  111. 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  NAVY. 

This  is  to  certify  that  Elmer  Albert  Elliott,  No.  53622,  Service 
No.  140-40-21,  Fireman,  2nd  class,  as  a  "testimonial  of  fidelity  and 
obedience"  is  honorably  discharged  from  the  U.  S.  S.  N.  T.  S.  Great 
Lakes  and  from  the  naval  service  of  the  United  States  this  4th  day  of 
August,  1919,  at  Great  Lakes,  111.  Now,  according  to  the  provisions 
of  Section  1573  (as  amended  by  act  of  Congress  approved  August  22, 
1912)  of  the  Revised  Statutes,  if  within  four  months  from  this  date 
said  Elmer  Albert  Elliott  shall  present  this,  his  honorable  discharge, 
at  any  United  States  Naval  Rendezvous,  and  is  found  physically  quali- 
fied and  shall  reenlist  for  four  years,  then  he  shall  be  entitled  to  pay 
during  the  said  four  months  equal  to  that  which  he  would  have  been 
entitled  had  he  been  employed  in  actual  service.  Upon  reenlistment 
and  the  surrender  of  this  discharge,  should  he  so  desire  he  will  receive 
a  Continuous  Service  Certificate  showing  his  service  and  honorable 
discharge,  and  shall  receive  an  addition  of  one  dollar  and  thirty-six 
cents  per  month  to  the  pay  of  rating  of  which  he  enlists  or  to  which 
he  may  be  promoted.  Rating  best  qualified  to  fill.  Fireman,  2nd 
class.  F.  B.  Bassett,  Commanding  U.  S.  S.  Naval  Training,  Great 
Lakes,  111. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Scale  of  Marks:  0,  Bad;  1,  Indifferent;  2,  Fair;  3,  Good;  4,  Very 
Good;  5,  Excellent.  Name:  Elmer  Albert  Elliott;  Rate:  App.  Sea. ;  en- 
listed, Dec.  3rd,  1917,  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  for  D.  O.  W.  Years,  total 
naval  service  1  8/12  years;  served  apprenticeship — ;  Gun  Captain 
Certificate—;  certificate  of  graduation  P.  O.  school— Seaman  Gun- 
ner ;  trade,  miner ;  citizenship,  U.  S. ;  ratings  held  during  enlistment, 
A  S— S  2  C— F  2  C ;  proficiency  in  rating  3.0 ;  seamanship  ;  ordnance ; 
signaling ;  marksmanship,  small  arms ;  mechanical  ability,  3.0 ;  knowl- 

68 


edge  of  Marine  machinery,  3.0 ;  knowledge  of  electrical  machinery 
and  appliances ;  sobriety,  4.0 ;  obedience,  4.0 ;  average  standing  for 
the  term  of  enlistment,  3.4.      W.  H.  Burris,  U.  S.  N. 

DESCRIPTIVE  LIST. 

Where  born,  Bethalto,  Illinois ;  date,  November  13,  1898 ;  age  20 
years,  8  months ;  height  5  feet,  10  inches ;  weight  158  lbs ;  eyes  blue ; 
hair  dark ;  complexion  ruddy ;  personal  characteristics,  marks,  etc., 
Si  &  Pm  1  cheek,  V ;  Pm  p  neck ;  percentage  of  time  on  sick  list  dur- 
ing enlistment,  none.  Is  physically  qualified  for  reenlistment.  Travel 
allowance  @  5  cents  per  mile  from  Great  Lakes,  111.,  to  Bethalto,  111., 
270  miles  is  $13.50.  C.  Fisher.  I  hereby  certify  that  the  above 
named  Elmer  Albert  Elliott  has  been  paid  ninety-three  dollars  and 
sixty-nine  cents  ($93.69)  in  full  to  date.  Pay  per  month  at  date  of 
discharge,  $41.00.  R.  P.  Shadburne,  U.  S.  N.,  Ensign  Pay  Corps,  U. 
S.  N.  R.  F. 


ELMER  0.  SCHOENEWEIS 

Elmer  O.  Schoeneweis,  son  of  Charles  and  Alice  Schoeneweis, 
was  born  in  Bethalto  February  2,  1897.  He  received  his  education 
in  the  Bethalto  school,  completing  the  ninth  grade,  after  which  time 
he  assisted  his  parents  with  the  work  at  home  and  for  a  time  he  was 
his  father's  assistant  rural  mail  carrier.  As  Elmer  was  not  of  age  he 
did  not  register  in  June,  1917.  On  May  24th,  1918,  he  tried  to  enlist 
in  the  Navy  but  was  rejected.  He  went  to  the  hospital  on  the  first 
of  June,  where  an  operation  was  performed  to  fit  him  for  the  Navy, 
and  by  the  27th  of  June,  1918,  he  was  fit  to  join  and  was  accepted.  He 
registered  for  the  draft  while  he  was  in  the  hospital. 

He  left  St.  Louis  on  the  7th  of  July  for  Great  Lakes  Training 
Station  on  Lake  Michigan,  about  30  miles  north  of  Chicago,  where 
recruits  for  the  Navy  received  their  first  training.  The  time  was 
spent  in  drilling,  doing  police  duty,  and  such  work  as  would  fit  him  for 
seamanship.  At  the  end  of  four  weeks  he  left  Great  Lakes  for  Phil- 
adelphia, reaching  that  place  on  the  11th  of  August.  Four  days  after 
he  reached  Philadelphia  he  was  ready  to  go  on  a  destroyer,  but  he 
was  again  sent  to  a  hospital  where  he  remained  twelve  days,  and  in 
order  to  recover  completely  from  this  second  operation  he  was  given 
fifteen  days  leave,  which  time  he  spent  with  home  folks  at  Bethalto. 
He  reached  Philadelphia  on  the  24th  of  September,  where  he  remained 
a  month  and  two  days,  when,  on  the  26th  of  October,  he  was  sent  to 

69 


Hoboken,  N.  J.,  where  he  boarded  the  President  Grant,  leaving  on  the 
28th,  crossing  the  ocean  and  landing  at  Brest  12  days  after  on  the  9th 
of  November ;  but  they  were  not  allowed  to  disembark  until  the  12th, 
a  day  after  the  armistice  was  signed. 

They  did  not  seem  to  know  what  to  do  with  the  boys  after  the 
armistice  was  signed,  so  it  was  thought  they  would  remain  on  board 
and  return  on  the  same  boat ;  but  instead  of  that  the  sailors  debarked 
and  wounded  soldiers  were  put  on  board  the  ship.  This  was  Elmer's 
first  duty  in  France — to  assist  in  carrying  wounded  soldiers  aboard. 
They  loaded  about  200  wounded  on  board  and  the  President  Grant  left 
within  a  few  hours  afterward. 

Elmer  was  sent  to  the  Naval  Air  Station,  where  he  remained  one 
night;  he  was  then  sent  to  Chateau,  the  old  Napoleon  Headquarters, 
where  he  remained  one  night.  The  next  day  he  was  sent  to  Lorient, 
a  mine  sweeping  base.  They  reached  the  town  all  right  but  no  orders 
had  preceded  them,  and  as  the  boys  had  received  no  pay,  and  of  course 
had  no  money,  the  hotels  would  not  accept  them,  so  they  were  thrown 
on  the  mercy  of  the  Red  Cross.  Thirteen  out  of  the  seventy-two  were 
sent  to  Nantes  to  do  guard  duty.  They  did  guard  duty  but  had  no 
place  to  stay.  Here  the  Red  Cross  kept  the  thirteen  at  their  Canteen. 
They  were  treated  fine  by  the  Red  Cross  and  remained  with  them  two 
weeks,  when  they  received  their  pay  and  extra  allowance  sufficient 
to  take  rooms  at  a  hotel. 

They  were  put  on  patrol  duty  at  once.  One  day  they  would  go 
on  from  8  to  12  :30  and  from  5  to  10  :30.  They  had  one  day  off  each 
week.  They  changed  time  for  their  patrol  duty.  Every  other  day 
they  would  go  on  duty  from  12  :30  to  6,  and  from  6 :30  to  11 :30.  There 
was  no  officer  in  charge  of  the  men  excepting  the  first  class  gunner's 
mate,  who  assumed  charge,  making  the  duty  easy,  for  he  knew  very 
little  about  guard  duty  and  cared  less.  When  at  night  they  were  on 
patrol  and  everything  was  quiet  around  the  docks  they  would  sneak 
off  to  their  rooms.  They  continued  with  this  kind  of  work  until  the 
3rd  of  January  when  Elmer  received  a  leave  to  visit  the  Paris  area. 
He  visited  Paris,  Chateau  Thierry,  Belleau  Wood,  Versailles  and  other 
places  of  interest.  He  saw  where  the  long  range  guns  had  demolished 
some  of  the  beautiful  buildings  in  Paris.  Eighty-seven  large  shells 
had  fallen  in  the  city,  and  while  he  was  there  the  French  were  remov- 
ing the  sand  bags  and  other  protection  from  the  Notre  Dame  Cathed- 
ral, and  were  clearing  away  the  debris  caused  by  the  long  range  guns. 
Paris  was  full  of  visitors  and  sightseers,  soldiers,  sailors,  of  all  na- 
tionalities. The  beautiful  rose  window  in  the  Rheims  Cathedral  at 
Rheims  had  not  been  put  back  but  a  fine  imitation  of  the  same  had 

70 


been  puts  in  its  place.  While  in  Paris  he  stayed  at  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
hotel,  and  the  prices  charged  for  the  various  accommodations  were 
very  high. 

While  at  the  hotel  he  received  a  telegram  to  return  immediately, 
and  by  the  next  morning  he  took  the  first  train  to  St.  Nazaire,  where 
the  ship  was  waiting  for  the  boys,  she  was  ready  to  take  them  back  to 
the  United  States ;  but  by  the  time  they  reached  St.  Nazaire  the  ship 
had  been  gone  four  hours  and  Elmer,  disheartened,  went  back  to  the 
barracks  at  St.  Nazaire  where  he  remained  all  night.  The  next  morn- 
ing orders  came  to  hold  all  the  boys ;  and  Elmer  was  sent  to  Brest. 
This  was  a  gloomy  spell  for  him.  It  was  raining  all  the  time,  he  had 
to  wear  a  raincoat  and  hip  boots  all  the  time.  At  Brest  he  was  sent 
to  Chateau  where  he  worked  in  the  mess  hall,  his  duty  being  general 
detail  and  mess  duty.  This  is  not  so  bad  when  you  don't  care  where 
you  are,  or  if  it  is  for  a  few  days  only ;  but  when  you  do  an  eight- 
month  hitch  at  it,  it  gets  monotonous ;  it  gets  on  your  nerves.  Think 
of  doing  the  same  thing  from  the  15th  day  of  January  until  the  16th 
of  September.  Elmer  had  enlisted  in  the  Navy  and  that  is  what  he 
got  out  of  it.  Finally  the  Sol  Navis,  a  U.  S.  transport  that  had  for- 
merly been  a  cargo  ship,  arrived  in  the  bay  and  Elmer  boarded  her. 

While  Elmer  was  at  the  Chateau  an  English  fleet  arrived  at  the 
port  of  Brest  and  the  English  sailors  started  out  for  what  they  called 
a  good  time.  There  were  twelve  destroyers  and  cruisers  in  the  fleet 
and  this  made  up  a  pretty  good  bunch  of  sailors.  They  would  go 
up  the  streets,  sometimes  twelve  abreast  arm  in  arm,  and  everybody 
got  out  of  their  way  or  got  hurt.  The  American  soldiers  got  out  of 
their  way  as  long  as  there  were  but  one  or  two  of  them ;  but  that  did 
not  last  long,  they  also  would  go  in  bunches  with  the  result  that  every- 
body knows,  for  the  papers  gave  full  accounts  of  it.  The  English 
sailors  were  finally  driven  to  the  wharf,  many  were  hurt,  but  after 
that  the  freedom  of  our  boys  was  gone  for  two  weeks ;  they  were  not 
allowed  to  leave  the  Chateau.  Some  2500  of  our  boys  were  held 
prisoners  for  two  weeks  on  account  of  this  trouble. 

The  Sol  Navis,  on  which  Elmer  left,  had  fine  sailing  and  it  took 
but  nine  days  to  cross  the  water,  landing  at  Pier  2,  Brooklyn,  from 
where  Elmer  went  to  Bay  Ridge,  a  receiving  station.  He  was  at  Bay 
Ridge  17  days  and  was  discharged  from  there  on  the  17th  of  October. 
Elmer  had  enlisted  in  the  Navy,  and  all  the  navy  he  got  out  of  it  was 
a  trip  across  and  back. 

Following  is  his  War  Service  Certificate.  No.  144775.  War 
Service  Certificate  United  States  Navy.  This  certifies  that  Elmer  O. 
Schoeneweis,  U.  S.  N.  R.  F.  performed  honorable  active  service  in  the 
United  States  Navy  from  June  27,  1918,  to  October  13,  1919,  on  board 

71 


the  following  ship  and  stations :  Naval  Training  Station,  Great 
Lakes,  111. ;  Naval  Port  Office,  Nantes ;  U.  S.  S.  Carola  R.  S.  at  New 
York.    C.  C.  Krakow,  Commanding  Officer. 

RELEASE  FROM  ACTIVE  SERVICE. 

The  Receiving  ship  at  New  York,  Bay  Ridge,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
From  Commanding  officers  to  Elmer  Oliver  Schoeneweis,  S.  K.  3  C. 
.U  S.  N.  R.  F.  Subject:  Release  from  active  service.  B.  K.  Parker, 
for  G.  D.  Gregory,  Ensign,  P.  G.  U.  S.  N.  R.  F. 

L  Your  request  to  be  released  from  active  duty  has  been  granted, 
and  in  accordance  with  authority  of  the  Navy  Department,  you  are 
hereby  released  from  active  duty  in  the  United  States  Naval  Reserve 
Force,  to  proceed  to  your  home  at  Bethalto,  111.  You  are  free  to  ac- 
cept any  employment.  You  are  not  discharged  from  the  United 
States  Naval  Reserve  Force,  but  will  continue  to  be  subject  to  the  rules 
and  regulations  governing  the  same. 

2.  Your  health  record  and  enrollment  record  will  be  forwarded 
by  the  Commanding  Officer  to  the  9th  Naval  District  at  St.  Louis,  in 
which  you  were  originally  enrolled.  Keep  the  commandant  of  your 
district  informed  of  any  change  of  your  mail  address  or  residence. 

3.  Upon  acceptance  of  these  orders,  you  will  have  received  and 
receipted  for  all  pay  due  you,  including  pay  for  the  time  necessary  to 
perform  travel  to  your  home,  and  the  necessary  transportation  to  your 
home,  or  to  such  other  point  as  you  may  elect  (provided  no  additional 
expense  is  incurred  by  the  government).  You  will  also  receive  the 
necessary  subsistence  during  your  travel  home. 

4.  You  will  be  required  to  keep  on  hand  your  uniform  and  out- 
fit, but  will  not  wear  the  same  while  on  inactive  duty  status  longer 
than  necessary  to  obtain  civilian  clothing. 

5.  There  is  attached  hereto  and  embodied  in  these  orders,  a  letter 
of  instruction  regarding  your  payments  for  Liberty  Loan  Bonds,  to 
which  you  have  subscribed,  and  also  the  method  and  amounts  of  in- 
surance premiums  to  be  paid  by  you ;  particular  attention  is  invited  to 
copy  of  telegram  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  relative  to  govern- 
ment insurance  attached  hereto,  which  you  are  cautioned  to  read  and 
advised  to  follow. 

6.  Enrolled  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.  G.  W.  Stutt,  W.  J.  Confer.  Lieut. 
U.  S.  N.  R.  F.     By  direction. 


72 


FRED  D.  OBERMILLER 

Fred  D.  Obermiller,  son  of  Henry  and  Mary  Obermiller,  was 
born  in  Foster  Township,  four  miles  north  of  Bethalto,  May  9,  1898. 
He  attended  the  Luman  school  until  he  was  about  15  years  of  age, 
when  the  parents  retired  from  active  farm  duty  and  moved  to  Be- 
thalto, where  Fred  completed  the  Eighth  grade  in  the  Bethalto  school. 
After  his  school  years  he  assisted  his  brother-in-law,  Frank  Johnson, 
with  farm  work  until  June  27,  1918,  when  he  resolved  to  enter  the 
navy  for  Uncle  Sam. 

He  had  no  difficulty  in  getting  into  the  navy,  for  his  physical 
makeup  was  perfect  and  he  was  accepted  at  once ;  he  returned  home 
after  the  examination,  bid  good  bye  to  the  parents,  and  the  next  day 
he  left  for  St.  Louis  from  which  place  he  was  sent  to  Great  Lakes 
Training  School  near  Chicago.  After  he  arrived  at  Great  Lakes  he 
was  placed  in  the  320th  Company,  Camp  Boone,  where  he  spent  nine 
days  in  drilling,  doing  company  duty,  and  learning  army  discipline. 
At  the  end  of  nine  days  he  was  transferred  to  another  camp,  Camp 
Dewey,  where  he  was  placed  in  Co.  I,  and  where  he  spent  twelve  days 
in  drilling,  etc.,  when  he  was  again  transferred  to  another  camp.  Camp 
Enterprise,  where  he  again  received  more  intensive  training,  such  as 
drilling,  digging  trenches,  detail  work,  etc. 

At  Camp  Boone  he  took  what  is  known  among  army  boys  as  two 
"shots"  and  the  last  "shot"  at  Camp  Dewey,  and  at  Camp  Enterprise 
he  made  preparation  to  enter  school.  He  took  examination  to  enter 
school,  and  having  passed  the  examination  he  took  up  the  mechanical 
problems  in  aviation  work,  such  as  construction  work  and  principles 
of  construction  of  aeroplanes.  He  studied  and  worked  at  this  for 
nine  weeks  at  Camp  Enterprise,  when  school  closed.  He  had  entered 
school  on  the  first  of  October  and  should  have  completed  the  course 
in  twelve  weeks,  but  the  school  closed  before  he  could  complete  the 
course  and  Fred  once  more  did  guard  duty,  company  duty,  etc.  He 
received  first  class  rating  from  the  school,  but  as  he  did  not  complete 
the  course  the  Navy  Department  did  not  confirm  the  rating. 

Fred  was  released  from  the  service  on  the  13th  of  January,  1919, 
serving  nearly  seven  months.  During  this  time,  while  in  these  camps 
he  had  very  little  freedom,  no  vacation,  no  furlough,  and  while  there 
never  saw  a  person  whom  he  had  known  in  this  section  of  the  country. 
Fred  did  his  bit,  he  served  faithfully,  and  but  for  the  ending  of  the 
war  would  have  become  a  valuable  help  in  Uncle  Sam's  Navy. 

Following  is  his  release :  U.  S.  Naval  Training  Station,  Great 
Lakes,  Illinois,  January  11,  1919.      6165,  from  Commander  to  Fred- 

73 


erlck  D.   Obermiller,   L.  M.    M.  A.   U.  S.    N.  R.  F.   5,  Bethalto,    111. 
Subject :      Release  from  active  duty. 

1.  You  are  ordered  home  in  accordance  with  your  request,  and 
upon  arrival  there  you  are  released  from  active  duty. 

2.  Transportation  and  subsistence  to  your  home  is  furnished  you 
herewith. 

3.  You  are  enrolled  in  the  Naval  Reserve  Force  for  four  years, 
and  may  be  recalled  into  active  duty  any  time  before  expiration  of  your 
enrollment. 

4.  You  are  permitted  to  wear  your  uniform  for  a  period  not  long- 
er than  three  months,  during  which  time  you  must  provide  yourself 
with  civilian  clothes.  You  must,  however,  keep  on  hand  the  full  out- 
fit with  which  you  were  discharged.  In  the  event  you  are  recalled 
into  active  duty  you  must  report  in  the  uniform  with  full  outfit. 

5.  This  release  severs  your  connections  with  this  station.  All 
correspondence  in  the  future  must  be  directed  to  the  Commandant  9th, 
10th  and  11th  Naval  District  at  Great  Lakes,  111.,  whom  you  must  keep 
informed  of  your  address  at  all  times  during  your  enrollment,  so  that 
your  retainer  pay  may  be  sent  to  you. 

6.  Four  years  after  your  enrollment  you  are  entitled  to  a  dis- 
charge from  the  U.  S.  Naval  Reserve  Force,  which  will  be  sent  to  you 
upon  your  application  to  the  District  Commandant,  under  whose 
direction  you  are  serving.      H.  C.  Ridgely,  J.  E.  Lork.       By  direction. 


EDWARD  D.  BAYLESS 


Edward  D.  Bayless,  son  of  Edward  D.  and  Meta  Bayless,  was 
born  in  Staunton,  111.,  Dec.  26,  1894.  His  mother  died  when  Ed.  was 
but  a  week  old,  leaving  his  father  and  his  grandmother  Bayless  to 
care  for  him.  When  Ed.  was  but  six  years  old  his  father  died,  leav- 
ing Ed.  solely  in  charge  of  his  grandmother,  who  took  care  of  him  and 
sent  him  to  school.  He  attended  the  Staunton  school  a  few  years. 
When  Grandma  Bayless  moved  to  Bethalto  she  took  Ed.  with  her  and 
sent  him  to  school  in  Bethalto,  where  he  completed  his  education. 

After  Ed.  grew  older  and  Grandma  Bayless  also  grew  older,  he 
took  care  of  her  as  long  as  he  could.  When  he  was  eighteen  years 
of  age,  his  grandmother,  on  account  of  her  extreme  age,  made  her 
home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Laura  Spencer,  where  she  remained  un- 
til her  death,  thus  leaving  Ed.  to  shift  for  himself.  He  went  to  St. 
Louis  where  he  obtained  employment  as  chaufifeur  and  mechanic,  for 
he  had  learned  a  great  deal  about  machines,  engines,  etc.,  while  he 
went  to  school. 

74 


He  was  employed  by  the  St.  Louis  Terminal  R.  R.  Co.  when  war 
was  declared,  and  Ed.  at  once  got  the  fever,  for  his  Grandfather  Bay- 
less  had  been  a  Civil  War  soldier  and  he  tried  to  follow  in  the  foot- 
steps of  his  grandfather,  so  he  enlisted  in  the  Second  Engineer  Re- 
serve Corps  on  the  21st  day  of  May,  1917.  He  registered  for  the 
draft  in  June,  1917.  The  Second  Engineer  Reserve  Corps  became 
the  Twelfth  Engineers,  National  Army,  and  the  boys  were  sent  to 
Chain  of  Rocks,  near  St.  Louis,  to  Camp  Galliard,  which  was  ex- 
clusively used  to  train  the  Twelfth  Engineers.  The  Twelfth  En- 
gineers was  of  St.  Louis  origin. 

At  camp  the  boys  did  infantry  drills  and  work  like  other  combat- 
ants for  they  were  considered  a  combatant  regiment.  They  had  en- 
tered camp  on  the  26th  of  June  and  by  the  26th  of  July  they  had  com- 
pleted their  training  and  were  on  their  way  for  overseas  duty ;  besides 
they  were  badly  needed  in  France.  They  received  their  overseas 
equipment  in  camp,  got  on  the  British  transport  Carmanian  on  the  28th 
of  July  and  reached  Liverpool  August  12th.  They  had  fine  sailing, 
fine  food,  and  excellent  treatment  by  the  British,  and  consequently  no 
seasickness  developed.  The  transport  carried  the  12th  and  17th  En- 
gineers. The  17th  came  up  from  Atlanta,  Ga.,  and  was  classed  as  a 
construction  regiment  while  the  12th  was  the  operating  regiment. 
From  Liverpool  they  went  to  Borden,  Salisbury  Plains,  a  British  train- 
ing camp  about  half  way  between  Liverpool  and  London. 

On  the  15th  of  August  the  12th  paraded  in  London  before  the 
King  and  a  few  American  officers.  This  was  the  first  of  its  kind  in 
England,  and  the  city  of  London  was  in  gala  attire  for  the  occasion. 
The  parade  was  a  long  one  but  they  were  rewarded  by  being  served 
a  fine  lunch  at  Buckingham  Park,  the  royal  park  of  England.  Here 
Ed.  saw  King  George  and  the  Queen,  Lloyd  George,  Bonar  Law,  Gen. 
Haig,  and  practically  all  the  royalty.  Although  a  tiresome  one,  it 
was  a  memorable  day  for  Ed.  The  12th  returned  to  Borden  the 
same  day,  and  remained  there  till  the  17th,  when  they  entrained  for 
Southhampton,  and  on  the  night  of  the  17th  they  sailed  on  the  Steamer 
Antrim  across  the  channel  to  Bologne,  landing  there  the  morning  of 
the  18th  of  August. 

They  received  instructions  in  gas  and  the  use  of  gas  masks ;  the 
officer  in  charge  being  the  only  one  left  of  Princess  Pat's  regiment,  the 
rest  having  been  either  gassed,  killed  or  wounded.  They  received 
their  gas  masks,  helmets,  and  their  final  instructions  before  going  in- 
land. On  the  morning  of  the  21st  they  entrained  for  the  front  in  sec- 
ond class  coaches  arriving  at  Roisel,  south  of  Perronne,  about  four 
kilos  behind  the  lines.  They  spent  the  first  week  constructing  a 
temporary  camp,  and  reconstructed  a  narrow  gauge  railroad  track, 

75 


but  the  real  and  main  object  of  their  hurry  in  going  to  the  front  was 
to  raise  the  morale  of  the  English,  which  was  at  this  time  at  low  tide. 
From  the  time  they  reached  the  front  to  the  following  March  the 
Engineers  rebuilt  railroads,  operated  them,  and  when  necessary  dug 
trenches.  The  14th  Engineers  were  with  them  a  great  part  of  the 
time. 

On  November  20,  1917,  General  Bing  started  the  great  drive  with 
his  cavalry  and  400  tanks.  It  was  a  sight  to  behold  and  a  sight  a 
person  can  never  forget.  The  Cavalry,  called  the  Fort  Gary  Horse, 
consisted  of  Canadians,  although  many  Americans  were  among  them 
for  they  had  enlisted  in  the  Canadian  army  long  before  then.  This 
drive  was  a  grand  spectacle  and  it  had  an  awful  affect  on  the  Ger- 
mans. Many  thousand  German  prisoners  were  taken ;  the  entire  sec- 
tion was  demoralized  and  the  cavalry  crossed  the  bridges  and  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  into  Cambrai,  but  when  the  tanks  tried  to  cross  the 
canal  the  bridges  broke  down  under  them  and  the  tanks  had  to  give 
up  the  fight.  During  this  time  the  12th  was  busy  hauling  Engineers' 
supplies  that  was  needed  to  carry  on  the  forward  movement  but  this 
was  of  short  duration  for  the  cavalry  remained  in  Cambrai  but  a  few 
hours — seeing  the  tanks  could  assist  no  further,  they  had  to  retreat. 

On  the  30th  of  November,  1917,  the  Germans  made  a  great 
counter  attack  with  the  result  known  in  history.  They  drove  the 
British  back  five  miles  farther  than  where  Gen.  Bing  had  started  from 
and  all  that  could  be  done  during  this  drive  was  to  hold  the  enemy 
back  as  much  as  possible  and  retreat  when  necessary.  They  went  as 
far  as  the  12th  Engineers'  Headquarters,  but  the  British,  Canadians, 
and  the  Engineers  stood  fast  and  finally  drove  the  enemy  back  as  far 
as  the  place  from  where  General  Bing  started.  A  complete  story  can- 
not be  told  here  for  we  are  taking  up  Ed.'s  history  and  all  we  can  do 
is  to  imagine  Ed.  in  a  35-mile  retreat  with  all  his  belongings  gone. 
Although  the  12th  lost  no  men,  several  were  wounded. 

The  11th  Engineers,  a  Nevv'  York  outfit,  was  a  construction  regi- 
ment, and  were  ahead  of  the  12th,  and  consequently  got  a  worse  deal. 
They  fought  with  picks  and  shovels ;  and  they  lost  heavily.  During 
this  time  they  were  with  the  British  Third  Army,  and  later  on  they 
were  attached  to  the  British  Fourth  Army.  From  November  30th  to 
March  21st,  1918,  it  was  ordinary  raids,  trench  warfare  and  a  con- 
tinual bombing  day  and  night  on  both  sides.  They  were  stationed  on 
Montigny  Farm ;  Co.  E.  had  about  160  men  with  about  13,000  in  the 
whole  regiment  and  they  were  all  stationed  in  this  sector.  They  were 
continually  under  shell  fire;  it  may  be  truthfully  stated  that  Ed.  was 
under  a  continual  shell  fire  from  August  21,  1917,  until  the  armistice 
was  signed,  nearly  fifteen  months. 

76 


The  British  intended  to  start  another  drive  on  the  26th  of  March, 
but  the  Germans  were  too  quick  for  them  and  they  started  the  great 
game — the  greatest  the  world  had  ever  known ;  this  was  on  the  21st 
day  of  March,  1918.  Read  the  history  of  this  great  drive  and  re- 
member Ed.  was  in  all  of  it.  Although  the  British  lost  heavily  they 
retreated  in  order.  They  fell  back  and  finally  checked  the  Germans 
and  as  the  enemy  began  to  retreat  the  English  began  to  move  forward 
and  the  Engineers  also  went  forward,  building,  always  building,  some- 
times constructing  something  one  day  and  blowing  it  up  the  next. 
Sometimes  they  assisted  in  moving  cannon  forward  one  day  and  help 
blow  them  up  the  next  to  keep  them  from  falling  into  the  hands  of 
the  enemy.  This  blowing  up  of  cannon,  tractors,  cars  and  trucks 
was  awful.  The  6th  Engineers  were  caught  in  a  trap  and  suffered 
terrible  losses ;  however  Amiens,  their  objective,  was  not  reached  and 
the  6th  of  April  saw  the  end  of  that  awful  Alarch  drive. 

Ed.  had  been  in  two  awful  battles  before  any  Bethalto  boys  got 
across ;  he  had  assisted  in  keeping  up  the  British  morale ;  for  without 
the  timely  coming  of  our  American  boys,  conditions  might  have  looked 
different ;  the  channel  ports  might  have  been  captured  and  then  no 
one  could  have  surmised  what  the  outcome  could  have  been.  The 
boys  of  the  12th  Engineers,  the  Chinese  laborers,  and  many  other 
classes  called  "Carey's  Chickens,"  helped  defeat  the  onslaught ;  their 
numbers  were  counted  by  the  thousand,  and  the  Germans,  seeing  the 
many,  many  men — not  all  soldiers  by  any  means — caused  the  Germans 
to  halt  and  pause  which  v/as  their  undoing. 

Ed.  assisted  from  this  time  on  in  digging  trenches  in  the  daytime 
and  putting  up  wire  at  night ;  the  worst  condition  at  this  time  was  the 
scarcity  of  food.  The  allies  expected  another  attack  but  it  did  not 
come ;  although  the  enemy  did  not  go  forward  they  stood  pat  when 
the  British  tried  to  advance. 

After  they  quit  digging  trenches  they  double-tracked  thirty  miles 
of  railroad  near  Albert  and  Amiens.  Although  Ed.  liked  the  British, 
for  they  treated  him  fine,  he  noticed  one  thing  very  keenly,  that  was 
when  an  advance  had  to  be  made  the  Colonials  had  to  do  it  while  the 
British  held  the  lines ;  and  as  a  rule  the  Canadians  or  Australians  did 
the  advancing. 

About  the  middle  of  May  every  member  in  Ed.'s  regiment  took 
the  "flu".  This  put  the  boys  in  a  bad  shape  for  they  were  for  a  long 
time  too  weak  to  do  much  hard  work.  By  the  first  of  August  the 
track  was  finished ;  although  on  the  26th  of  July  the  12th  left  the 
English  at  Oisemont;  entrained,  came  through  Paris  and  went  east 
on  a  five-day  ride  to  the  Vosges  mountains  near  the  Swiss  border.  At 
Baccarat  they  remained  about  a  week  to  build  a  narrow  gauge  rail- 
77 


road  which  was  never  used.  They  expected  an  attack  at  that  place 
but  it  did  not  come.  At  Baccarat  all  the  new  men  were  sent  away  for 
instruction  before  they  were  destined  to  go  to  the  big  front.  The 
boys  were  not  entirely  over  the  "flu"  and  a  great  deal  could  not  be  ex- 
pected of  them.  From  Baccarat  they  went  to  Belleville — the  name 
making  many  a  Belleville,  III,  soldier  homesick.  This  was  before 
the  St.  Mihiel  drive  and  they  were  but  eight  miles  from  Metz ;  it  was, 
however,  in  the  St.  Mihiel  Sector,  and  they  constructed  spurs  of  rail- 
road for  the  guns  on  the  cars. 

The  12th  had  charge  of  the  entire  St.  Mihiel  Sector  when  the  drive 
began  and  their  work  to  bring  supplies  to  keep  lines  of  communication 
open.  If  a  piece  of  track  was  torn  away  it  was  at  once  repaired  by 
the  men  of  the  12th.  After  the  St.  Mihiel  drive  they  continued  to 
build  new  track.  On  the  first  of  October  Ed.  with  several  others,  was 
transferred  to  the  11th  Engineers  to  operate  a  work  train.  On  the 
25th  of  October,  while  acting  as  brakeman,  a  German  aeroplane  came 
down  alongside  Ed.  and  another  brakeman.  They  made  both  pilot 
and  observer  prisoners.  These  Germans  claimed  they  had  got  lost, 
they  were  out  spreading  German  propaganda.  Ed.  and  the  other 
brakemen  held  them  prisoner  until  a  sergeant  and  a  corporal  came 
along,  took  the  prisoners  with  them,  reported  same  to  headquarters 
and  received  full  credit  for  the  capture.  This  Ed.  claimed  to  be  un- 
fair as  the  sergeant  and  corporal  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  capture 
of  these  men ;  yet  the  sergeant  and  corporal  received  a  fine  letter  from 
the  Adjutant-General  praising  them  for  capturing  these  Germans  and 
the  only  German  aeroplane  ever  captured  undamaged  and  intact. 

Thus  the  work  continued,  keeping  up  tracks,  hauling  rations,  am- 
munition supplies,  much  salvaged  goods,  etc.  On  January  27th,  Ed. 
went  back  to  his  company  E,  and  was  stationed  18  miles  from  St. 
Mihiel.  On  the  28th  Ed.  received  leave  of  absence  for  the  first  time ; 
he  had  been  in  service  more  than  11  months  and  under  shell  fire  as 
long  as  shells  flew  and  he  deserved  an  8-day  leave,  during  which 
time  he  went  to  Grenoble  in  southern  France.  This  was  the  leave 
area,  but  Ed.  went  farther  on  to  Marseilles,  Monte  Carlo,  and  other 
places  where  good  times  could  be  had  and  sights  could  be  seen. 

After  his  return  the  work  of  tearing  up  of  1000  miles  of  narrow 
gauge  commenced,  which  lasted  from  the  first  of  February  to  the 
first  of  April.  From  there  they  went  to  Sorcy  in  the  Meuse  River 
district,  back  of  Toul.  Here  they  drliled  a  while.  From  there  they 
went  to  Bordeaux  where  Ed.  went  to  the  hospital  for  two  weeks ;  in  the 
meantime  the  12th  sailed  for  home  on  the  14th  of  April  on  the  U.  S. 
S.  Cape  May,  and  landed  in  the  U.  S.  on  the  28th  of  May. 

78 


With  the  12th  went  the  records  of  the  12th,  and  Ed.'s  were  among 
them,  so  he  had  to  remain  until  they  were  returned.  During  the 
time  Ed.  waited  for  his  records  he  felt  a  great  deal  better  so  he  acted 
as  chauffeur  for  a  captain  of  the  Medical  Corps  and  his  wife.  They 
motored  to  Marseilles ;  thence  to  Switzerland,  thence  to  the  German 
border ;  then  back  through  Chateau  Thierry,  Belleau  Wood  and  other 
notable  places  back  to  Bordeaux.  They  got  back  on  the  27th  of  May, 
and  Ed.  sailed  on  the  second  of  June  on  the  Arcadian,  a  German 
freighter.  They  left  Bassens  near  Bordeaux,  the  voyage  at  first  was 
rough,  the  food  was  poor,  not  fit  to  eat,  consequently  Ed.  was  seasick 
every  day  he  was  on  the  water.  They  landed  at  Newport  News  on  the 
16th  of  June,  where  he  remained  seven  days,  and  was  sent  to  Camp 
Taylor,  where  he  was  discharged  on  the  25th  of  June,  reaching  St. 
Louis  on  the  26th,  after  an  absence  of  two  years. 

Following  is  his  discharge  and  enlistment  record :  Honorable 
discharge  from  the  United  States  Army.  To  all  whom  it  may  con- 
cern. This  is  to  certify  that  Ed.  D.  Bayless,  162505  Pvt.  unassigned, 
last  assigned  to  Co.  E.  12th  Engrs.,  the  United  States  Army,  as  a  tes- 
timonial of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby  honorably  discharged 
from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States  by  reason  of  expiration 
term  of  service.  Par.  S.  U.  1174  Hd.  9.,  Co.  Z.  T.  Ky.,  June  23,  1919. 
Said  Ed.  D.  Bayless  was  born  in  Staunton,  111. ;  when  enlisted  he  was 
22  5-12  years  of  age  and  by  occupation  a  switchman.  He  had  brown 
eyes,  black  hair,  dark  complexion,  and  was  5  feet  10  1-2  inches  in 
height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp  Taylor,  Ky.,  this  25th  day  of 
June,  1919.      Arthur  J.  Taylor,  Major  F.  A.  U.  S.  A.  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  Edward  D.  Bayless.  Grade:  Prviate.  Enlisted  May  21, 
1917,  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at  date  of 
discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Noncommissioned  officer :  Never. 
]\Iarksmanship,  gunner  qualification,  rating:  Not  qualified.  Horse- 
manship :  Not  mounted ;  battles,  engagements,  skirmishes,  expedi- 
tions :  Cambrai  Offensive :  Nov  20,  1917,  to  Nov.  29,  1917.  Cambrai 
defensive:  Nov.  30,  1917,  to  Dec.  4,  1917.  Somme  defensive,  March 
23,  1918,  to  April  6,  1918.  St.  Mihiel  Offensive:  Sept.  12,  1918,  to 
Sept.  14,  1918.  Citations,  decorations,  badges,  medals :  None. 
Knowledge  of  any  vocation  :  Switchman.  Wounds  received  in  ser- 
vice :  None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged :  Good.  Typhoid 
prophylaxis  completed  July  20,  1917.  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis  com- 
pleted: July  20,  1917.  Married  or  single:  Single.  Remarks: 
Last  assigned  to  Co.  E.,  12th  Engineers.    Sailed  from  P.  S.  July  28th, 

79 


1917,  arrived  in  U.  S.,  June  16,  1919.  Signature  of  soldier:  Edward 
D.  Bayless.  A.  K.  Geesing-,  2nd  Lieut.  D.  B.  Commanding  Casual 
Bet. 


FRED  G.  HASSMAN. 

Fred  G.  Hassman,  son  of  Henry  and  Emma  Hassman,  was  born 
near  Bethalto  July  18,  1886.  He  attended  the  Walnut  Grove  school 
until  he  reached  the  Seventh  grade  work,  when  the  family  moved  to 
Newkirk,  Okla.,  and  Fred  completed  the  Eighth  grade  work  there. 
After  that  Fred  v^-ent  to  California,  where  for  more  than  three  years 
he  was  employed  by  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  after 
which  time,  about  1912,  he  came  back  to  Alton.  He  worked  on  the 
farm  for  Wm.  Klopmeyer  about  a  year,  and  then  for  the  Illinois  Glass 
Company  at  Alton  and  was  working  for  the  Standard  Oil  Company 
when  war  was  declared  and  he  enlisted  for  the  service. 

He  v/ent  to  St.  Louis  and  enlisted  in  the  Second  Engineers,  but 
was  not  called  until  the  26th  of  June,  1917;  in  the  meantime  he  reg- 
istered for  the  draft  for  he  was  not  quite  out  of  the  draft  age.  He 
had  enlisted  in  the  Second  Engineer  Reserve  Corps  as  a  car  repairer, 
but  during  his  entire  stay  in  the  service  he  did  not  have  a  wrench  in 
his  hand.  Fred  was  placed  in  Co.  C.  at  Camp  Galliard,  at  Chain  of 
Rocks,  near  St.  Louis.  The  Second  Engineers  became  the  Twelfth 
Engineers  which  was  of  St.  Louis  origin.  Fred  became  acquainted 
with  Ed.  Bayless  while  at  Camp  Galliard,  although  they  were  not  in 
the  same  company,  Ed.  being  in  Co.  B.  Fred's  history  is  the  same 
as  Ed.'s  until  the  great  Cambrai  drive  started.  It  was  then  that  Fred 
was  doing  carpenter  work  at  headquarters  and  was  far  behind  the 
lines ;  and  although  they  did  not  retreat  the  Germans  came  all  the  way 
up  to  them  and  those  at  headquarters  stood  to,  they  were  issued  am- 
munition and  got  ready  to  check  the  onslaught,  but  the  Germans  stop- 
ped and  the  retreat  ended. 

From  Nov.  30,  1917,  to  March  31,  1918,  Fred  did  carpenter  work, 
and  guard  duty.  During  these  months  they  were  continually  under 
shell  fire ;  but  when  the  second  drive  started  the  latter  part  of  March 
everybody  retreated,  headquarters  and  all,  it  was  too  much  and  they 
retreated  about  thirty  miles.  The  retreat  was  orderly  and  at  Terra 
Menil  they  dug  trenches  for  retreating  soldiers.  Co.  C  was  stationed 
at  a  place  called  Worriel,  and  while  there  Fred  helped  build  track. 

While  there  and  around  there  the  entire  regiment  was  stricken 
with  Spanish  Influenza  in  a  severe  form  which  took  the  "pep"  out  of 
the  boys.      They  became  so  weak   that  they  were   unable  to  do   any 

80 


work  for  many  months.  They  would  try  but  became  exhausted  so 
soon  that  very  little  could  be  accomplished.  Fred  had  the  "flu"  about 
a  week.  The  Spanish  Influenza  brought  about  not  only  suffering  but 
a  bad  state  of  affairs,  for  there  was  so  much  to  do,  so  much  track  to 
be  laid  and  repaired,  with  no  energy,  that  very  little  could  be  ac- 
complished when  sorely  needed. 

On  the  26th  of  July  the  Twelfth  Engineers  left  the  English  at 
Oisemont  and  rode  for  five  days  to  the  Vosges  mountains  where  an 
attack  was  expected  but  it  did  not  come.  They  had  built  a  narro\\ 
gauge  railway  at  Baccarat  and  at  the  end  of  a  week  all  but  fifty  left 
the  place.  Fred  and  Ed.  parted ;  Fred  remained  at  Baccarat  until 
September,  1918.  Ed.  had  been  sent  to  the  St.  Mihiel  Sector.  In 
September  Fred  was  sent  to  Termenil  in  the  St.  Mihiel  Sector,  south 
of  Verdun,  to  assist  in  keeping  up  the  tracks. 

They  were  continually  under  shell  fire  for  when  the  tracks  were 
torn  up  by  shells  the  members  of  the  Twelfth  had  to  build  them  up 
as  quickly  as  possible.  This  kind  of  work  was  kept  up  until  the 
armistice  was  signed.  They  were  working  where  the  American  shells 
were  flying  over  them  constantly.  They  built  about  a  thousand  miles 
of  track  while  they  were  there.  Fred  did  not  meet  Ed.  Bayless  until 
March,  1919,  and  when  they  finally  started  for  Bordeaux  he  did  not 
meet  Ed.  any  more,  for  Ed.  was  in  the  hospital  and  he  had  to  be  left 
behind,  when  they  left  Bassens  on  the  Cape  May. 

The  sea  was  rough  and  Fred  was  seasick  all  the  way  across.  When 
they  reached  Nev/port  News  they  were  sent  to  Camp  Upton  where 
the  regiment  split  up,  going  in  various  directions  to  the  nearest  place 
home  to  be  discharged.  At  Camp  Grant,  Fred  was  in  the  hospital 
about  three  weeks  and  was  finally  discharged  on  the  5th  of  June,  1919. 

Fred  had  a  rough  life  during  his  two  years'  army  life ;  a  rough 
life  from  beginning  to  the  end.  Many  interesting  stories  could  be 
told  but  space  does  not  allow  it ;  besides  during  the  rough  sea  voyage 
and  his  sickness  he  lost  his  diary.  A  diary  in  which  he  kept  record 
of  all  his  movements.  Sufficient  to  know  that  Fred  and  the  entire 
Twelfth  Engineers  saw  very  little  pleasure.  They  had  not  enlisted 
for  pleasure  and  they  sure  did  their  bit  in  assisting  to  drive  the 
enemy  from  territory  not  theirs  to  the  place  from  whence  they  came. 

Fred  started  with  Twelfth  and  received  his  honorable  discharge 
when  the  Twelfth  was  mustered  out  of  service. 


81 


GOTLIEB  W.  STAHLHUT 

Gotlieb  W.  Stahlhut,  son  of  Henry  and  Mary  Stahlhut,  was  born 
in  Fort  Russell  Township,  about  five  miles  southeast  of  Bethalto,  July 
3,  1892.  He  attended  the  Oak  Grove  school  and  reached  the  Sixth 
grade  work.  After  his  school  years  he  continued  to  assist  his  par- 
ents with  their  farm  work. 

He  registered  in  June,  1917,  claimed  no  exemption,  and  was  ready 
to  go  when  he  was  needed.  He  was  called  on  the  4th  of  October, 
1917,  and  left  Edwardsville  in  company  with  Charles  Neunaber,  Emil 
Paul,  Fred  Sanders,  Ed.  Bangert,  Wm.  Dettmers  and  others.  The 
bunch  went  to  Camp  Taylor,  Ky.,  and  a  jolly  good  ride  they  had. 
With  plenty  of  "Old  Taylor"  going  to  Camp  Taylor,  it  was  no  wonder 
when  the  coach  arrived  with  its  load  of  fighters  there  was  not  a  single 
lamp  or  window  left  in  the  coach.  The  conductor  remarked  that  was 
the  kind  of  boys  who  would  make  good  fellows  for  Uncle  Sam's  army, 
which  assertion  will  be  verified  by  the  description  of  the  above  named 
fellows. 

At  Camp  Taylor  Gotlieb  was  placed  in  Co.  B.  333rd  Infantry,  and 
he  at  once  set  to  work  learning  the  art  of  soldierdom.  He  drilled  and 
hiked ;  this  was  easy  for  him  for  he  was  used  to  hard  work  and  he  had 
a  healthy  body  and  a  willing  spirit.  Although  many  were  sick  at 
Camp  Taylor,  Gotlieb  got  by  fine,  and  his  six  months'  stay  there  was 
well  spent,  for  every  day  spent  at  Camp  Taylor  meant  proper  develop- 
ment in  manner,  mind,  and  muscle. 

At  the  end  of  six  months'  drill  he  was  transferred  to  the  35th 
Engineers,  and  sent  to  Camp  Merritt,  where  the  35th  Engineers  were 
ready  to  cross  the  waters.  He  had  received  his  full  equipment,  had 
completed  his  training,  and  was  ready  to  go.  He  left  Camp  Taylor 
on  the  28th  of  March,  1918,  and  although  200  left  at  the  same  time  he 
was  the  only  one  of  his  company  to  join  the  35th  Engineers.  From 
Merritt  he  went  to  Hoboken,  where  he  boarded  the  Lincoln,  an  interned 
German  passenger  boat.  She  was  a  large  boat  and  had  6500  sol- 
diers aboard,  besides  trucks  and  autos.  The  rations  were  fine ;  they 
received  three  good  meals  a  day  and  no  seasickness  resulted  on  their 
seventeen  days'  trip. 

The  Lincoln  had  formerly  belonged  to  Germany,  and  for  them  to 
see  American  troops  sent  across  in  what  they  termed  their  boat  must 
not  be  tolerated,  so  three  submarines  were  sent  out  with  instructions  to 
sink  her  at  any  cost.  The  officers  and  men  were  to  receive  a  great 
reward  if  they  succeeded  in  sinking  her,  but  if  they  failed  death  would 
be  meted  out  to  the  entire  crews.  When  the  Lincoln  reached  the  war 
zone  the  submarines  started  for  her  as  their  main  objective;  and  al- 

82 


though  there  were  nine  ships  in  the  convoy,  including  a  Red  Cross  ship, 
the  Lincohi  was  the  one  on  which  vengeance  must  be  made ;  but  the 
crew  was  prepared.  Every  soldier  wore  life  belts,  there  w^as  no  sleep, 
there  was  no  light ;  sure  enough  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  at- 
tack began  in  earnest.  x\fter  several  shots  had  been  fired  by  the 
Lincoln  oil  was  seen  floating  on  the  water  and  they  reached  Brest 
harbor  safeh-.  Upon  reaching  the  harbor  one  of  the  U-boats  sur- 
rendered ;  the)  had  followed  the  Lincoln  in  order  that  they  could  sur- 
render. There  they  told  the  tale  of  reward  or  the  consequences  if 
the  Lincoln  was  not  sunk.  They  told  that  the  other  U-boats  had  been 
sunk  from  the  shell  fire  of  the  Lincoln,  and  the  fate  of  the  crews  was 
unknown. 

.\fter  they  landed  at  Brest  they  marched  to  the  Napoleon  Bar- 
racks where  they  remained  about  a  week  and  were  then  sent  to  Bor- 
deaux in  the  famous  French  box  cars  which  took  them  two  days  and 
two  nights.  The  cars  were  crowded,  the  doors  were  closed,  it  was 
too  crowded  to  sleep,  they  had  no  water  to  drink  and  all  they  had  to 
eat  was  pork  and  beans  and  bread.  Many  another  description  with 
reference  to  the  French  box  car  rides  is  given  in  this  book  and  it  will 
be  but  mere  repetitions  that  millions  of  our  boys  have  experienced, 
and  though  it  seems  ludicrous  now,  it  was  serious  then. 

Upon  reaching  Bordeaux  the  35th  Engineers  started  at  once  to 
build  American  engines  and  Gotlieb  helped  build  the  first  American 
engine  in  France :  he  had  no  experience  of  this  kind  but  he  soon 
learned.  He  worked  at  putting  up  engines  about  five  months,  when 
he  was  sent  to  La  Rochelle.  another  seaport  between  Bordeaux  and 
Brest,  about  100  miles  from  Bordeaux  and  Brest.  At  La  Rochelle  he 
helped  build  American  box  cars.  The  pieces  were  sent  across  from 
the  U.  S.  and  at  La  Rochelle  the\'  were  put  together.  There  were 
aljout  3000  men  at  work  putting  up  American  box  cars.  A  great 
speed  was  attained  by  these  engineers  and  they  turned  out  cars  at  the 
rate  of  one  in  eight  minutes.  It  was  while  here  that  the  boys  cele- 
brated Armistice  Day,  but  they  continued  building  box  cars  until 
January,  1919.  The  work  was  steady ;  seven  days  in  a  week  and 
twelve  hours  a  day. 

In  January  he  made  an  effort  to  get  home  and  at  the  same  time 
he  was  sent  away  from  La  Rochelle  and  was  sent  to  Brest  where  he 
ran  an  engine  on  the  tug  boat  Cuba,  that  ran  from  the  wharf  to  the 
large  vessels  that  were  too  large  to  go  nearer  the  shore.  The  boat 
liauled  soldiers  and  their  luggage  from  Brest  harbor  to  the  vessels  get- 
ting ready  to  return.  It  could  haul  about  400  at  one  time  and  had 
a  little  more  than  a  mile  to  go. 

83 


Once  while  the  Western  Scout,  a  large  freighter,  had  engine 
trouble  about  150  miles  out,  the  Cuba  was  called  and  she  went  out  and 
towed  her  from  where  she  lay  through  the  Strait  of  Gibraltar  into  the 
Mediterranean  Sea.  The  Western  Scout  had  on  board  a  cargo  of 
lumber,  and  hailed  from  Portland,  Oregon.  The  Cuba  had  been 
called  by  wireless. 

After  his  return  Gotlieb  continued  his  old  line  of  duty  between 
wharf  and  vessel.  He  had  four  hours  on  and  eight  hours  off,  and 
during  his  eight  hours  off  he  often  watched  the  happy  faces  of  return- 
ing soldiers ;  he  would  sometimes  sit  for  hours  to  watch  the  happy  fel- 
lows and  wondered  if  he  would  ever  meet  a  fellow  he  knew ;  but  of  all 
the  thousands  who  started  on  their  homeward  journey  not  a  face  did 
he  see  that  he  recognized,  and  the  only  two  whom  he  met  during  the 
time  that  he  was  gone  were  Albert  Smeder,  of  Wanda,  and  Ed.  Har- 
moning,  of  Edwardsville.  It  is  strange  to  see  so  many  thousand  faces 
and  to  know  so  few  of  them. 

Finally  the  day  was  set  for  Gotlieb  to  return  home,  August  the 
26th.  He  had  been  across  almost  18  months,  long  enough  to  receive 
three  service  stripes.  He  returned  on  the  U.  S.  Zeppelin,  a  German 
boat.  This  was  her  maiden  trip,  for  she  had  been  built  by  the  Ger- 
mans during  the  war.  It  took  her  but  ten  days  to  cross ;  she  landed 
at  New  York  on  the  5th  of  September.  You  might  know  Gotlieb  had 
a  pleasant  voyage,  no  seasickness  of  course,  and  Hoboken  was  reached 
in  safety.  He  went  from  there  to  Camp  Merritt,  where  he  remained 
six  days,  and  then  went  to  Camp  Grant,  where  he  received  his  dis- 
charge, and  reached  Edwardsville  and  home  on  the  17th  of  September, 
after  an  absence  of  nearly  24  months.  Following  is  his  discharge  and 
enlistment  record : 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Gotlieb  W. 
Stalhut,  1976033,  Corporal,  Hdqrs.  Det.  5th  G.  R.  Transportation 
Corps,  the  United  States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faith- 
ful service,  is  hereby  honorably  discharged  from  the  military  service 
of  the  United  States  by  reason  of  convenience  of  the  government, 
demobilization  of  organization,  per  circular  108,  W.  D.  1918.  Said 
Gotlieb  W.  Stahlhut  was  born  in  Edwardsville  in  the  State  of  Illinois. 
When  enlisted  he  was  25  3-12  years  of  age  and  by  occupation  a  farmer. 
He  had  brown  eyes,  dark  hair,  dark  complexion,  and  was  5  feet  11 
inches  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp  Grant,  Illinois,  this 
15th  day  of  September,  1919.  Hamilton  D.  Turner,  Major  Infantry, 
Commanding. 

84 


ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  Gotlieb  W.  Stahlhut.  Grade:  Corporal.  Enlisted  10-3-1917 
at  Edwardsville,  111.,  serving-  in  first  enlistment  period  at  date  of  dis- 
charge. Prior  service  :  None.  Noncommissioned  Officer :  Corporal 
7-28-1919.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualifications  or  rating:  Not 
rated.  Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirm- 
ishes, expeditions :  None.  Decorations,  badges :  A.  E.  F.  medals, 
citations :  None.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation :  Farming.  Wounds 
received  in  service:  None.  Physical  condition  when  discharg-ed: 
Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed:  2-14-1918;  paratyphoid 
prophylaxis  completed  2-14-1918.  Married  or  single :  Single. 
Character :  Very  good.  Remarks :  Entitled  travel  pay  to  Ed- 
wardsville, 111. ;  sailed  from  U.  S.  3-31-1918 ;  returned  to  U.  S. 
9-5-1919.  Absence  without  leave  under  G.  O.  No.  31,  W.  D.  1912  and 
No.  45  W.  D.  1914  :  None.  Signature  of  soldier  :  Gotlieb  W.  Stahl- 
hut. William  A.  Millard,  2nd  Lieut.  Demobilization  Group,  Command- 
ing. Camp  Grant,  111.,  Sept.  15,  1919.  Paid  in  full  $94.85  including 
bonus  of  $60.00,  Act  of  Feb.  24,  1919.  P.  G.  Hoyt,  Major  I.  M.  C. 
Per  M.  Peterson,  2nd  Lt.  A.  M.  C. 


GEORGE  C.  HARMONING. 


George  C.  Harmoning  was  born  April  14,  1893,  near  Edwardsville, 
111.  His  father  was  born  in  Germany  in  that  part  formerly  called 
Hanover,  which  had  been  an  independent  kingdom  of  Northern  Ger- 
many. Hanover  was  annexed  to  Prussia  in  the  sixties.  This  an- 
nexation was  unpopular  with  the  Hanoverians  or  Hanoveraner  as  they 
call  themselves,  but  no  armed  resistence  was  shown  and  those  who  re- 
fused to  abide  by  the  Prussian  decision  or  those  opposed  to  Prussian- 
ism  left  that  country  and  emigrated  to  America.  It  happened  thus 
that  George's  father  came  to  this  country  when  a  young-  man.  He 
settled  near  Edwardsville,  111.,  married  an  Edwardsville  girl  and 
farmed  for  a  number  of  years.  George's  mother's  name  was  Minnie 
Kriege,  of  Edwardsville. 

George  went  to  the  Pin  Oak  school  in  Pin  Oak  Township  until 
the  family  moved  to  Edwardsville.  At  Edwardsville,  George  went 
to  the  German  Parochial  school.  It  thus  happened  George  received 
both  a  good  English  and  German  education.  About  four  years  ago 
the  family  left  Edwardsville  and  moved  to  Bethalto  where  they  are 
now  located.  After  the  family  quit  farming  George  worked  on  the 
farm  for  others.       He  registered  at  Bethalto  in  June,  1917,  and  was 

85 


called  for  examination  early  in  1918,  but  he  failed  in  the  test  and  was 
sent  to  East  St.  Louis,  where  the  test  at  Alton  was  sustained,  and 
George  was  put  in  the  limited  service  class. 

The  limited  service  men  were  billed  to  go  to  Camp  Grant,  but  on 
account  of  blood  poison  it  was  impossible  for  George  to  go.  He  was 
therefore  not  called  again  until  the  first  of  October,  1918,  when  he  was 
sent  to  Jefferson  Barracks,  Mo.  Although  there  were  many  from 
here  who  were  put  in  the  limited  service  George  and  John  Weyen  were 
the  only  two  from  Bethalto  to  leave.  His  life  in  camp  was  of  short 
duration  owing  to  the  signing  of  the  armistice. 

The  duties  of  the  limited  service  men  varied  as  the  occasion  de- 
manded ;  most  of  the  work  being  general.  There  was  no  drilling  or 
guard  duty  or  any  special  work  usually  performed  by  men  in  the  reg- 
ular service.  Mumps  being  prevalent  during  the  time  George  was  at 
Jefferson  Barracks,  he  was  in  the  hospital  two  weeks  with  mumps; 
and  the  balance  of  the  time  that  he  was  in  the  army  he  was  working 
for  an  army  chaplain  named  Sam  Dorrance.  Thus  George's  work 
was  one  of  the  tirst  to  end  after  the  army  was  ordered  to  be  de- 
mobilized.      Following  is  his  discharge  and  enlistment  record : 

nLSCHAR(;E  FROM  THE  UNITED  STATES  ARMV. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  George 
Harmoning,  No.  3779209,  recruit,  limited  military  Class  C.  unassigned, 
attached  18th  Recruit  Co.,  general  service  infantry,  the  United  States 
Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service  is  hereby  hon- 
orably discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States  by 
reason  of  demobilization,  auth.  letter  from  A.  9.  0.  dated  November 
23,  1918.  Said  George  C.  Harmoning,  No.  3779209  was  born  in 
Madison  County,  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  W'hen  enlisted  he  was  25 
years  of  age,  and  by  occupation  a  farmer.  He  had  blue  eyes  No.  13, 
brown  hair,  ruddy  complexion,  and  was  5  feet  5  3-4  inches  in  height. 
Given  under  my  hand  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  this  12th  day  of  Decem- 
ber, 1918.      George  R.  Hunter,  Colonel  U.  S.  A.  retired.  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name :  George  C.  Harmoning,  No.  3779209.  Grade :  Recruit, 
inducted  Oct.  1,  1918,  at  Alton,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period 
at  date  of  discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Noncommissioned 
officer :  Never.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation  :  Farmer.  Wounds 
received  in  service :  None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged : 
Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed  :  October  17,  1918.  Para- 
typhoid prophylaxis  completed :      October  17,  1918.      Married  or  sin- 

86 


gle:  Single.  Character:  \'ery  good.  Remarks:  Soldier  en- 
titled to  travel  pay  to  Alton,  111.  No  absence  without  leave.  No 
absence  under  general  order  45,  War  Department  1914.  Signature  of 
soldier:  George  C.  Harmoning.  W.  B.  Eress,  1st  Lieut.  Infantry,  Com- 
manding 18th  Recruit  Co. 


JOHN  H.  WEYEN. 

John  H.  Weyen,  son  of  Heye  and  Meta  Weyen,  was  born  near 
Gillespie,  111.,  on  the  17th  day  of  May,  1888.  The  parents  resided  on 
a  farm  and  John  attended  the  Gillespie  school  until  he  was  14  years  of 
age,  when  the  family  purchased  a  home  in  Bethalto,  moved  there  and 
John  completed  his  education  in  the  Bethalto  school.  He  completed 
the  Eighth  grade  work  and  after  that  he  assisted  the  parents  at  home 
until  he  was  called  to  the  colors.  He  was  not  quite  30  years  of  age 
when  the  call  was  made  and  he  registered  for  the  draft  in  June,  1917. 
Shortly  after  the  registration  he  was  called  but  upon  examination  he 
was  rejected  and  he  was  placed  in  the  limited  service. 

He  remained  home  until  the  time  came  for  the  limited  service  men 
to  be  called,  and  John  left  home  on  the  28th  of  July,  1918.  He  went 
to  Edwardsville  and  from  there  he  was  sent  to  Syracuse,  N.  Y.  He 
was  placed  in  a  recruiting  camp  and  was  placed  in  28  Co.  7,  Bn.  Ret. 
Camp,  but  did  not  remain  at  Syracuse  very  long,  for  just  one  month 
after  he  left  Bethalto  he  landed  in  Columbus,  Ohio.  There  was  very 
little  to  do  at  Syracuse  so  he  was  sent  to  Columbus,  Ohio,  to  do  guard 
duty.  He  was  placed  in  the  343rd  Fire  and  Guard  Company  and  as 
the  name  of  the  company  designated  John  was  placed  on  guard  most 
of  the  time. 

On  October  5th,  Spanish  Influenza  broke  out  in  camp  and  every- 
body was  kept  away  from  the  patients,  thus  the  physicians  tried  to  pre- 
vent the  spread  of  the  dreaded  disease.  John  continued  to  do  guard 
duty  until  the  14th  of  October  when  he  was  taken  suddenly  ill  with 
the  "flu".  The  first  two  days  he  did  not  seem  seriously  ill  but  on  the 
third  day  his  fever  rose  rapidly  which  caused  his  sickness  to  develop 
into  pneumonia.  The  attending  hospital  physicians  and  nurses  gave 
him  the  best  of  attention  and  care,  but  all  this  was  of  no  avail,  for  the 
Almighty  had  chosen  otherwise,  and  he  was  called  away  from  his 
mother,  brother  and  sister,  comrades,  and  a  host  of  friends  and  rela- 
tives. 

About  2  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  18th  he  unexpectedly  lost 
consciousness  and  at  five  minutes  past  three,  without  having  previous 

87 


ly  suffered  he  expired.  At  4:30  p.  m.  on  the  17th  of  October  a  tele- 
gram was  sent  to  John's  mother  stating  that  he  was  seriously  sick  at 
the  hospital ;  and  at  10 :30  p.  m.  another  telegram  was  sent  stating  that 
he  would  live  only  a  few  hours.  The  next  day  she  received  a  telegram 
stating  that  John  H.  Weyen  died  at  3  :05  a.  m.  of  that  day. 

The  body  arrived  at  Gillespie  at  7  :55  p.  m.  October  19,  for  burial 
and  John  was  laid  to  rest  on  the  21st  day  of  October  in  the  Gillespie 
cemetery,  where  lie  buried  his  father  and  a  sister. 

John  had  lived  with  his  parents  in  Bethalto  sixteen  years ;  he  had 
made  many  friends  and  was  loved  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  L.  O.  O.  M.  of  Alton,  111. 

His  sister  Mabel  writes  the  following  lines  to  his  memory : 
To  Son  and  Brother,  John  Weyen. 

On  August  31st,  you  were  called  to  go 

Across  sea  to  fight  a  common  foe. 

To  Syracuse.  N.  Y..  at  first  you  went 

And  from  there  to  Columbus,  O.,  vvas  sent. 

To  Fir^  and  Guard  duties  they  did  assign 

For  each  day  in  the  week,  in  rain  or  shine. 

For  nearly  two  months  this  pace  you  kept, 

Marching  to  and  fro  with  measured  step. 

Though  the  trials  of  France  you  did  not  share. 

You  were  on  your  way  over  there 

When  God  saw  fit  to  call  you  home. 

And  now  your  work  on  earth  is  done. 

Although  at  home  there's  an  empty  chair, 

May  Heaven  be  brighter  by  your  presence  there. 

And  though  it  is  not  us,  but  God  to  please. 

We  can  still  retain  the  memories. 


LESLIE  PREHN. 

Leslie  Prehn,  son  of  Theodore  and  Anna  Prehn,  was  born  in 
Bunker  Hill,  111.,  September  29,  1895.  The  parents,  though  of  Ger- 
man descent,  were  both  born  in  Illinois  and  both  being  thoroughly 
American,  always  favored  American  institutions  and  therefore  a  good 
education  and  training  for  their  children,  so  Leslie  received  his  ele- 
mentary education  in  the  Bunker  Hill  schools,  graduating  from  the 
Eighth  grade  in  1910,  and  at  the  age  of  18  he  graduated  from  the  High 
school  of  that  place.  In  1915  Theodore  Prehn,  his  father,  went  into 
the  lumber  business  in  Bethalto  and  Leslie  did  all  the  clerical  work 
pertaining  to  that  business,  remaining  most  of  the  time  in  Bethalto 

88 


while  the  parents  resided  in  Bunker  Hill,  and  although  doing  business 
in  Bethalto  he  registered  for  the  draft  in  June,  1917,  in  Bunker  Hill, 
for  that  was  still  his  home. 

He  was  called  to  the  colors  in  September,  1917,  and  left  Staunton, 
III.,  with  the  Macoupin  county  boys,  Sept.  19,  1917,  having  been 
sworn  in  at  2  p.  m.  Sept.  17.  As  soon  as  Leslie  left  the  parents  made 
preparation  to  move  to  Bethalto  and  then  moved  in  October,  thus  be- 
coming citizens  of  Bethalto. 

The  boys  were  sent  to  Camp  Taylor  and  Leslie  became  part  of 
Battery  F,  of  the  327th  Field  Artillery  that  was  being  formed  there 
at  the  time  the  Macoupin  county  boys  arrived,  and  thus  Battery  F 
was  formed  from  the  Macoupin  bunch.  Three  weeks  after  he  ar- 
rived he  became  Battery  Clerk  and  his  high  school  training  became 
valuable  to  him.  Later  on  he  did  special  duty  as  regimental  statis- 
tician. In  February,  1918,  he  was  transferred  to  Battery  A,  after 
he  had  been  made  first  class  private  while  under  Captain  Weiland. 
While  in  Battery  A,  he  did  special  clerical  duty  at  headquarters,  but 
under  Captain  J.  E.  Shaw,  of  Battery  A,  the  finest  officer  in  the 
United  States  Army. 

The  duties  as  clerk  in  Battery  F  were  taking  care  of  the  com- 
pany's records  and  general  correspondence,  typewriting,  etc.  At 
Regimental  Headquarters  it  was  regimental  correspondence,  which 
was  of  larger  scope  and  more  of  it.  On  March  1st,  Leslie  was  pro- 
moted to  corporal,  and  although  the  work  was  the  same  as  before  the 
promotion  increased  his  pay  to  $38.00.  During  the  winter  of  1917- 
1918  he  took  several  courses  in  the  army  school  completing  wig-wag, 
semaphore,  buzzer,  telephony,  besides  taking  part  of  a  course  in 
French. 

On  April  1.  the  regiment  hiked  to  West  Point,  Ky..  a  distance  of 
about  20  miles.  A  new  camp  v/as  being  made  between  the  Ohio  and 
Salt  Rivers  and  this  regiment  was  sent  there  to  help  organize  it  and 
this  camp  was  to  be  used  as  a  Field  Artillery  camp  near  which  was 
located  the  range.  The  camp  consisted  of  tents  vvhich  had  to  be 
pitched  in  the  wilderness,  but  through  the  effort  of  the  company  it 
was  soon  cleaned  up  and  the  little  village  nearby  became  a  thriving 
town  during  the  existence  of  this  camp. 

On  May  2  Leslie  was  promoted  to  Battalion  Sergeant  Major, 
which  put  him  in  charge  of  battalion  detail,  which  consisted  of  38 
men.  He  was  to  oversee  the  signaling,  telephone  and  linemen,  and 
instrument  men,  besides  taking  care  of  the  First  Battalion  records 
under  the  direction  of  Major  Chapman.  This  position  increased  his 
pay  to  $48.00. 

89 


The  summer  was  spent  in  firing  on  the  range,  maneuvering,  etc., 
both  by  night  and  day.  On  August  25th  at  9  a.  m.  the  first  train  de- 
parted from  West  Point  with  about  440  men  being  the  First  Battalion ; 
the  second  battalion  left  soon  after.  There  were  three  battalions  to 
a  regiment,  the  327th  being  motorized  and  the  325th  and  326th  were 
horse-drawn  outfits.  The  327th  used  155  millimeter  guns,  and  the 
325th  and  326th  used  75's.  This  material  was  left  in  camp  when  the 
men  departed,  for  these  were  fit  only  to  be  used  on  drill  grounds. 

They  left  on  the  Henderson  line  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  on  the  C.  &  O. 
through  Covington,  Ky.,  Staunton,  Va.,  Washington,  D.  C.  on  the 
New  Jersey  road  from  Washington  through  Philadelphia,  Trenton  to 
Jersey  City.  There  they  boarded  a  ferry,  rounded  New  York  City, 
down  the  Hudson  River,  up  East  River  under  Brooklyn,  Queensbury 
and  Manhattan  bridges  to  Camp  Mills,  L.  I.  They  remained  at  Camp 
Mills  from  August  27th  till  September  8th,  drawing  their  overseas 
uniforms.  They  left  Camp  Mills  on  a  ferry  to  New  York  docks  and 
boarded  the  S.  S.  Orduna  on  the  8th  of  September,  pulled  out,  passing 
the  Goddess  of  Liberty  on  the  9th  of  September. 

The  convoy  of  14  transports,  5  sub-chasers,  and  one  battleship 
escorted  by  one  dirigible,  and  two  aeroplanes  on  their  journey.  The 
Orduna  was  pretty  well  crowded,  for  she  had  on  board  1600  men  of 
the  327th,  135  men  of  Headquarters  Detachment,  159th  F.  A.  Brigade 
and  100  Red  Cross  nurses,  besides  her  crew.  They  had  good  sailing, 
saw  no  submarines  and  the  battleship  escorted  them  two-thirds  of  the 
way  across  and  when  they  rounded  Ireland  an  aeroplane  came  out  to 
meet  them.  They  went  around  the  north  of  Ireland  through  the  North 
Channel  where  the  convoy  split  up,  one-half  going  to  Glasgow,  Scot- 
land and  the  other  half  going  to  Liverpool,  Eng.  They  were  about  14 
days  in  crossing  and  landed  at  3  a.  m.,  Sunday,  September  21st,  and 
put  foot  on  English  soil  about  8 :30  that  same  morning. 

They  hiked  through  Liverpool  to  the  railroad  station  where  they 
were  greeted  by  the  Red  Cross  and  received  hot  coffee  and  rolls.  They 
boarded  a  train  at  3  p.  m.,  September  22.  The  train  consisted  of 
wooden  compartment  coaches,  each  compartment  holding  eight  men. 
The  coaches  had  neither  air  brakes  nor  patent  couplers  and  the 
entrances  were  from  the  side  and  each  coach  had  several  entrances. 
The  engines,  though  nicely  polished  with  brass,  were  old-fashioned 
and  small ;  they  burned  pressed  coal,  the  pieces  being  of  uniform  size 
and  made  no  smoke. 

They  traveled  at  a  fair  rate  of  speed  passing  through  much  inter- 
esting scenery ;  and  while  at  Winchester,  Leslie  had  the  chance  of  see- 
ing the  ruins  of  King  Arthur's  palace  and  the  large  historical   Round 

90 


Table,  twenty-four  feet  in  diameter.  Winchester  was  the  last  stop 
and  they  hiked  to  Camp  Winnal  Downs,  a  distance  of  three  miles, 
reaching-  the  place  at  4  a.  m.  September  23.  They  ate  breakfast  and 
went  to  bed  in  tents ;  and  although  they  went  to  bed  there  were  in 
reality  no  beds  in  these  pyramidal  tents,  neither  was  there  a  floor  in 
the  tent,  so  they  unpacked,  lay  down  on  the  wet  ground  while  the  rains 
were  pouring  through  the  roof ;  Leslie  had  company,  for  there  were  24 
others  in  his  tent  sharing  the  same  fate.  They  remained  there  three 
days  during  which  time  Leslie  received  two  passes  to  Winchester,  thus 
becoming  pretty  well  acquainted  with  English  customs  and  English 
scenery.  They  left  Winnal  Downs  at  6  a.  m.  September  25,  in  heavy 
marching  order  to  Winchester  railroad  station,  expecting  to  finish  the 
trip  through  England  by  rail,  but  they  met  with  disappointment,  for 
the  officers  were  informed  that  all  men  on  railroads  in  England  were 
on  a  strike ;  so  they  were  ordered  to  proceed  at  once  to  hike  to  South- 
ampton, this  being  the  only  way  to  get  there.  They  went  in  heavy 
marching  order,  packs  consisting  of  a  rifle,  a  belt,  canteen,  rations, 
etc.,  consisting  in  all  of  about  85  pounds.  They  marched  all  day. 
The  rations  were  the  lightest  part  of  the  burden ;  they  reached  South- 
ampton at  6  p.  m.  tired,  mad,  hungry  and  sore,  and  rested  two  hours 
at  the  docks.  At  6  p.  m.  they  were  loaded  on  a  small,  filthy  and  un- 
comfortable bark  called  Margarete.  They  started  across  the  channel 
at  8  p.  m.  and  rode  all  night.  There  was  no  sleep  if  you  could  not 
sleep  standing,  for  there  was  no  chance  to  lie  dowm  even  on  some  poor 
tired  soldier. 

They  finally  landed  at  La  Havre  at  6  o'clock  the  next  morning  and 
at  onoe  hiked  through  the  town  and  up  the  steep  bluff  in  a  zig-zag 
fashion  to  Camp  No.  1  six  miles  away,  where  they  were  put  in  tents  on 
muddy  ground.  The  tents,  pyramidal  in  shape,  were  made  to  hold 
six  soldiers,  but  they  crowded  14  in  each  tent  and  the  only  way  this 
could  be  accomplished  was  to  pile  their  feet  up  in  the  center  with  their 
heads  sticking  outside  of  the  tents,  in  the  rain.  They  remained  at 
Camp  No.  One  24  hours,  still  subsisting  on  skimpy  British  rations. 

On  the  27th  of  September  they  left  Camp  No.  One  and  hiked 
hack  to  La  Havre,  where  they  boarded  the  famous  40  Hommes  Chavou 
8.  There  were  32  men  in  Leslie's  coach,  which  made  it  pretty 
crowded.  They  subsisted  on  American  food  consisting  of  canned 
beans,  corn  Willie  and  bread.  They  rode  72  hours  from  the  northern 
extremity  of  France  to  the  southern  extremity  near  the  Spanish  bor- 
der, thus  enabling  them  to  see  Western  France.  They  went  to  Bor- 
deaux and  about  16  miles  west  to  Camp  De  Souge,  a  French  artillery 
camp,  where  the  327th  practiced  with  French  artillery.  They  arrived 
91 


at  De  Souge  on  the  29th  of  September  and  on  the  third  of  October 
Leslie  was  taken  down  with  the  "flu".  Upon  reaching  the  hospital  it 
was  found  to  be  full,  so  he  and  about  90  others  were  billeted  in  bar- 
racks, where  medical  attention  was  scarce.  Leslie  was  very  sick  and 
the  treatment  was  rough  which  kept  him  in  until  the  17th  of  October, 
during  which  time  many  died.  He  was  unable  to  do  much  work  for 
a  while.  After  he  became  stronger  he  attended  the  French  school  of 
orientation,  he  also  took  a  course  of  firing  on  the  range,  recording 
shots,  etc.      This  he  did  besides  attending  to  the  First  Battalion  detail. 

After  the  armistice  was  signed  movements  were  checked.  They 
had  completed  their  practice,  they  had  drawn  all  their  material  and 
equipment,  their  artillery  155's,  etc.,  and  had  been  assigned  with  the 
Third  Army  in  the  Verdun  sector.  The  signing  of  the  armistice  put 
a  lull  in  the  situation  and  Leslie  had  a  comparatively  easy  time  at  De 
Souge. 

They  had  orders  to  leave  for  home  on  the  20th  of  November,  but 
there  were  too  many  ahead  of  them  so  they  had  to  remain  a  few  months 
in  the  camp  during  which  time  Leslie  took  advantage  of  all  the  passes 
he  could  procure  to  Bordeaux,  thus  getting  acquainted  with  every 
nook  and  corner  in  this  large  and  beautiful  city. 

Finally  the  day  arrived  and  orders  were  given  to  proceed  by 
marching  to  Genecourt  No.  1.  This  was  on  the  12th  of  January, 
1919.  This  was  their  first  homeward  movement.  They  remained 
there  18  hours,  during  which  time  they  were  sent  through  a  delouser, 
whether  you  needed  it  or  not.  They  drew  new  clothing  and  then 
went  to  Genecourt  No.  2,  where  they  remained  until  the  21st  of  Jan- 
uary policing  the  camp,  dug  ditches,  built  walks,  and  the  balance  of 
the  time  waded  in  the  mud.  On  Sunday,  January  21st,  they  left 
Genecourt  No.  2  and  marched  to  Bassens  to  the  American  docks  about 
9  kilos  away,  where  they  boarded  the  U.  S.  S.  Mallory,  leaving  the 
docks  the  next  morning,  and  moving  down  the  Gironde  River  about  40 
kilos  and  entering  the  Bay  of  Biscay.  They  started  for  Brest  but 
v.hile  on  the  ocean  they  received  word  by  wireless  that  there  was  no 
oil  at  Brest  and  they  changed  their  course  and  went  to  the  Azores 
Islands  where  they  got  oil,  for  the  H.  W.  Mallory  was  an  oil  burner. 

After  they  left  the  Azores  they  had  fine  sailing  for  about  ten 
hours,  lights  burned  brightly,  and  the  sea  was  never  more  smooth ;  but 
this  was  a  good  indication  for  a  storm  and  sure  enough  an  awful  five 
days'  storm  broke  in  upon  them  which  delayed  their  trip  several  days ; 
for  they  could  make  no  headway,  the  storm  roared,  waves  rolled  high 
and  the  ship  nothing  but  a  coast  wise  steamer,  that  should  not  have 
been  sent  across  with  a  cargo  of  American  soldiers.      Ninety  per  cent 

92 


of  the  boys  were  seasick  and  they  remained  so  until  the  4th  of  Feb- 
ruary, when  they  dropped  anchor  at  Pier  No.  2  at  Hoboken,  from 
which  place  they  had  sailed  for  France  five  months  before.  They 
went  by  ferry  and  rail  to  Camp  Merritt,  where  they  remained  eight 
days.  While  at  Merritt  they  went  through  another  cootie  mill  and 
their  clothing  went  through  a  great  steam  pressure,  killing  every  germ 
imaginable  and  putting  wrinkles  in  the  clothing  that  never  will  come 
out. 

At  Merritt,  Leslie  had  several  passes  to  see  the  city  of  New  York. 
He  had  six  passes  and  availed  himself  of  each  one  of  these  privileges. 
The  boys  had  good  times  at  Camp  Merritt.  They  had  been  seasick 
all  the  way  and  were  now  getting  fairly  well  over  it  and  were  naturally 
hungry :  but  they  could  eat  to  their  heart's  content  and  they  ate  and 
ate,  never  did  anything  taste  so  good.  At  Merritt  the  company  split 
up  and  the  l)c>s  wtre  sent  to  the  nearest  camp  for  home,  so  Leslie,  Ted 
and  Frank  were  sent  to  Camp  Grant,  reaching  that  place  on  the  14th 
of  February.  Leslie  was  discharged  on  the  19th,  and  reached  home 
on  the  20th,  after  having  served  in  the  army  a  year  and  five  months. 
Following  is  his  discharge  and  enlistment  record : 
Honorable  Discharge  from  the  United  States  Army.  To  all 
whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Leslie  E.  Prehn, 
1984861,  Bn.  Sgt.  Mjr.  Hdq.  Co.  327th  Field  Artillery,  the  United 
States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is  here- 
by honorably  discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United 
States  by  reason  of  convenience  of  the  government.  Per  S.  O.  46  Par. 
33,  No.  9,  Camp  Grant,  111.,  2-15-19.  Said  Leslie  E.  Prehn  was  born 
in  Bunker  Hill  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  When  enlisted  he  was  21  years 
of  age  and  by  occupation  a  lumber  merchant.  He  had  blue  eyes, 
light  hair,  fair  complexion  and  was  5  feet,  9  inches  in  height.  Given 
under  my  hand  at  Camp  Grant,  111.,  this  19th  day  of  February,  1919. 
F.  L.  Martain,  Major  Air  Service  U.  S.  A.  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  Leslie  E.  Prehn.  Grade:  Bn.  Sgt.  Maj.  Inducted 
Sept.  18,  1917,  at  Staunton,  111.  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at 
date  of  discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Noncommissioned  officer : 
Corporal  from  March  1,  1918;  Bn.  Sgt.  Maj.  from  May  2,  1918. 
Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating:  Not  qualified. 
Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes,  ex- 
peditions :  American  Expeditionary  Forces  from  September  8,  1918, 
to  February  4,  1919.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation :  Lumber  mer- 
chant.      Wounds  received  in   service :     None.        Physical    condition 

93 


when  discharged:  Good.  Typhoid  Prophylaxis  completed  Oct  9, 
1917.  Paratyphoid  Prophylaxis  completed  Oct.  9,  1917.  Married 
or  single:  Single.  Character:  Excellent.  Remarks:  No  A. 
W.  O.  L.  and  no  absence  under  G.  O.  45-15  or  31-12 ;  entitled  to  travel 
pay.  Signature  of  soldier:  Leslie  E.  Prehn. — Marion  C.  Patton, 
First  Lieut.  327th  F.  A.  Commanding  PIdq.  Co.  327  F.  A.  Camp  Grant, 
111.,  Feb.  19,  1919.  Paid  in  full :  $43.28,  Alex.  C.  McKelvey,  Capt. 
Q.  M.  C,  D.  E.  Cowdrey,  2nd  Lieut..  O.  M.  C. 


FRANK  DRISCOL 


Frank  Driscol,  a  member  of  Battery  F.  327th  Field  Artillery,  was 
born  in  Chicago.  April  22,  1892.  His  father,  of  Irish-American  de- 
scent, died  when  Frank  was  seven  years  old.  His  mother  was  a  Scotch- 
Canadian.  When  the  father  died  they  had  to  shift  for  themselves. 
They  lived  in  Joliet,  111.,  then  moved  to  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  then  to 
Springfield,  Mo.  When  his  father  died  they  were  living  in  Spring- 
field, Mo.  Leaving  the  two  without  means  they  were  forced  to  work 
for  others  for  a  living.  They  lived  with  a  Lancaster  family  who 
moved  to  Seymour,  Mo.,  taking  the  two  with  them.  Frank  worked 
a  while  for  Dr.  Jackson,  who  died  within  a  year  after  Frank  was  there, 
he  was  then  taken  to  Dr.  White  but  left  on  account  of  the  hard  work 
due  to  his  tender  age.  He  received  his  early  education  from  his 
mother  and  started  to  Springfield  school  in  the  Third  grade.  At  Sey- 
mour he  was  doing  Sixth  grade  work.  The  Lancasters  moved  back 
to  Springfield,  taking  Frank  along  and  leaving  the  mother  at  Seymour. 

Frank  was  employed  at  the  Springfield  Furniture  Company  for 
two  and  one-half  years;  and  it  was  during  this  time  his  mother  died, 
leaving  him  an  orphan.  He  became  a  hard  wood  finisher ;  but  when 
the  Lancasters  moved  to  East  Alton,  111.,  he  went  with  them,  for  they 
were  like  home  folks  to  him.  They  moved  to  East  Alton  to  be  near 
the  Earls  family,  John  Earls,  of  East  Alton  being  a  brother  to  Mrs. 
Lancaster.  Frank  went  to  work  for  the  Western  Cartridge  Co.,  and 
on  account  of  poor  health  Mr.  Lancaster  went  to  the  Soldiers'  Home 
at  St.  James,  Mo.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  Frank  w^as  left  alone,  for 
Mrs.  Lancaster  also  went  to  the  home  at  St.  James. 

At  the  Furniture  Company  Frank  received  but  35  cents  a  day 
and  would  never  have  been  able  to  remain  there  had  it  not  been  for 
the  kind  hearted  Lancasters.  After  Frank  quit  the  Western  he  worked 
on  a  C.  C.  C.  &  St.  L.  train  for  three  months,  then  went  to  work  for 
Beall  Bros.  Tool  Co.  for  six  months.       He  decided  that  farm  life 

94 


suited  him  better,  so  he  went  to  work  for  G.  Y.  Henry  of  East  Alton. 
He  worked  for  two  years  for  Mr.  Henry,  then  for  the  next  twelve 
months  he  rambled  over  part  of  the  northwest.  He  worked  at  East 
Moline,  111.,  Minneapolis  and  Fergus  Falls,  Minn.,  and  other  places, 
but  he  grew  tired  of  such  life  and  went  back  to  G.  Y.  Henry's.  In 
January,  1917,  Frank  went  to  Hornsby  to  make  his  home  with  Mrs. 
Sarah  Rotsch.  It  thus  happened  that  he  registered  for  the  draft  in 
June,  1917,  from  Macoupin  county.  When  Frank  left  for  the  army 
September  18,  1917,  Mrs.  Rotsch  moved  back  to  Bethalto,  her  former 
home.  It  thus  happened  that  Frank  is  classed  as  a  Bethalto  boy,  for 
his  home  was  changed  to  Bethalto  during  his  absence. 

Frank  left  Staunton  with  the  Macoupin  county  bunch ;  he  went 
to  Camp  Taylor  where  he  was  placed  in  Battery  F,  327th  F.  A.,  and 
remained  in  the  same  battery  until  he  was  discharged  from  Camp 
Grant,  111.,  Feb.  20,  1920.  Frank  and  Leslie  Prehn  left  for  Camp 
Taylor  together,  and  were  in  the  same  battery  for  a  short  while.  On 
April  1st,  the  325th,  326th,  327th  F.  A.  of  the  84th  division  went  to 
West  Point,  about  20  miles  down  the  Ohio  River  from  Camp  Taylor. 
Here  Frank  drilled  until  the  25th  of  August,  when  he  entrained  for 
Camp  Mills,  L.  I.,  to  be  equipped  for  overseas  duty.  He  boarded 
the  British  steamer  Orduna  on  the  9th  of  September  for  a  two  weeks 
ride  on  the  ocean.  Although  no  submarines  were  sighted  the  trip 
across  was  not  a  pleasant  one. 

Being  used  to  clean  camp  life,  with  clean  and  pure  American 
food,  the  soldiers  at  once  classed  the  Orduna  as  too  dirty  and  filthy  for 
a  United  States  soldier.  And  to  add  to  the  discomforts,  the  meals, 
although  regular,  were  of  such  quality  that  the  greatest  quantity  was 
either  saved  by  the  boat's  crew  or  fed  to  the  fish  by  the  soldiers.  They 
landed  at  Liverpool  harbor  September  21,  where  the  Boy  Scout  band 
played  American  airs  for  the  soldiers.  From  Liverpool  they  went 
to  Winchester,  where  Frank's  trials  began  in  earnest.  Food  having 
been  scarce,  and  poor  at  that,  on  the  boat,  and  very  scarce  after  he 
landed,  he  was  easily  fatigued.  They  hiked  from  Winchester  to  Win- 
nal  Down  where  they  rested  a  while,  then  started  to  entrain  for  South- 
ampton, but  the  English  railroad  men  had  started  on  a  strike  and 
nobody  rode ;  so  they  started  on  a  hike  that  morning  to  Southamp- 
ton. Each  soldier  was  given  two  sandwiches  on  which  to  hike  16 
miles.  With  so  little  to  eat  for  such  a  long  march,  full  pack,  it  was 
no  wonder  so  many  fell  by  the  wayside  and  had  to  be  carried  to  the 
port  in  ambulances ;  and  though  the  boys  received  so  little  to  eat  the 
British  objected  to  give  them  even  that  amount. 


95 


They  reached  Southampton  about  5  o'clock  in  the  evening  and 
were  loaded  on  to  a  small  English  boat  called  Margarete,  crossing  the 
channel  and  landed  at  La  Havre  the  next  morning.  The  boat  was  so 
crowded  it  was  impossible  to  lie  down  to  rest  and  the  only  way  to  ob- 
tain any  rest  was  to  lean  against  the  walls  of  the  boat. 

No  sooner  had  they  landed  when  they  were  marched  to  Camp  No. 
One,  about  six  miles  up  the  hill  and  out  of  town,  only  to  discover  there 
was  no  room  for  Battery  F.,  and  they  were  ordered  back  again  to  La 
Flavre.  During  these  trying  hours  Battery  F.  was  still  rationed  by 
the  British  government  and  a  twelve  mile  hike  in  a  day  with  little  or 
no  food  and  no  rest  the  previous  night  was  simply  intolerable,  which 
left  a  lasting  impression  on  all  the  boys.  As  soon  as  they  reached  La 
Havre  they  were  huddled  into  box  cars,  or,  to  use  plainer  language, 
cattle  cars. 

In  these  small  cars  they  rode  three  days  and  three  nights  to  their 
new  and  final  destination.  Although  the  cjuantity  of  food  did  not  in- 
crease while  in  these  cars  the  quality  was  better,  for  they  were  eating 
American  food  nov/ ;  and  corn  beef  was  sure  appreciated  after  having 
been  fed  on  mutton  stew  for  so  many  days.  About  thirty  in  a  car 
one-third  the  size  of  our  American  box  cars  told  what  that  meant  for 
a  bunch  of  fatigued  and  half-starved  soldiers. 

They  finally  landed  at  Camp  De  Souge,  about  16  miles  west  of 
Bordeaux.  This  was  on  the  29th  of  September.  The  327th  being 
the  heavy  field  artillery,  accounted  for  its  being  placed  on  the  range 
so  far  from  the  lines.  Camp  De  Souge  had  been  used  as  an  artillery 
camp  and  was  Avell  suited  for  heavy  artillery.  They  were  given  six 
weeks  of  intensive  training  with  Howitzers,  French  type  using  155 
millimeter  shells ;  completing  their  training  on  the  9th  of  November 
just  two  days  before  the  armistice  was  signed.  The  order  had  been 
received  to  occupy  a  sector  before  Metz  when  fighting  ceased.  Every- 
thing was  ready  to  go,  all  was  loaded  at  Tours  ready  for  the  front 
when  it  suddenly  ended. 

So  it  happened  Battery  F.  and  Frank  never  left  De  Souge,  and  on 
the  12th  of  January,  1919,  they  left  the  camp  after  a  105  day  drill. 
Camp  life  at  De  Souge  was  not  always  unpleasant  and  it  would  have 
been  better  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  "flu."  Every  meal  that  was 
eaten  at  De  Souge  was  eaten  in  the  rain,  and  to  sleep  in  the  little  pup 
tents  with  rain  pouring  through  aggravated  life  somewhat.  "Flu" 
played  havoc  v/ith  some  batteries,  but  F  lost  only  two,  although  every 
member  had  it.       Frank  was  in  the  hospital  eight  days. 

At  Camp  Taylor  the  boys  drilled  in  the  snow ;  at  West  Point  they 
drilled  in  the  hot  sand ;  and  at  De  Souge  they  drilled  in  the  mud  and 

96 


p» — — 1 

^^^/^•^        -^ 

1 

^^ 

\  K. 

JAMES   FRED   JONES 

(Deceased) 

Hospital  Corps,  47th  Reg.,  C.  A.  C. 


HERMAN  OLTHOFF 

Mech.  Co.  G,  78th  Infantry 


ARTHUR    JONES 
Co.  L,  48th  Infantry 


ARTHUR  GEORGE  ELLIOTT 

Co.  G,  48th  Infantry 


WILLIAM    E.    NEUNABER 

4th  Recruit  Sq., 
Air  Service 


LIMON  NEUNABER 
Co.  E,  156th  Infantry 


EDWARD  J.  NEUNABER 
Co.  F,   10th  Infantry 


CHARLES  NEUNABER 

Headquarters  Co.,  138th  Infantry 


rain ;  but  such  is  army  life  and  it  is  fine  if  you  like  it.  The  boys  in- 
tended to  start  back  in  November,  but  they  sent  mules  into  the  camp 
by  the  thousands  from  Spain,  to  be  fed  and  cleaned  up  for  the  Third 
army,  and  Frank  had  good  practice  in  currying  mules  until  the  12th 
of  January,  when  the  boys  left  camp,  went  to  Genecourt  No.  1,  and 
through  a  delousing  process ;  thence  to  Genecourt  No.  2,  where  they 
remained  a  week  shoveling  mud ;  thence  to  the  port  of  embarkation 
for  home. 

They  boarded  the  U.  S.  S.  Henry  R.  Mallory  to  start  on  their 
stormy  trip  of  seventeen  days,  passing  the  Azores  and  landing  at 
Hoboken,  N.  J.  From  there  they  went  to  Camp  Merritt.  where  they 
split  up,  going  some  here,  some  there,  to  their  homes.  Frank,  Ted 
and  Les.  were  sent  to  Camp  Grant,  where  the  majority  were  sent  to 
be  discharged.  He  arrived  at  Camp  Grant  on  the  14th  day  of  Feb- 
ruary, was  discharged  on  the  21st,  reaching  Bethalto  and  home  on 
the  21st,  where  he  was  received  by  friends,  neighbors  and  associates, 
welcoming  him  back  to  civil  life. 

Following  is  his  discharge  and  enlistment  record : 
To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Frank  Dris- 
coll.  1984873,  Private  Battery  F,  327th  Field  Artillery,  the  United 
States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service  is  hereby 
Honorably  Discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States 
by  reason  of  convenience  of  the  government  Per  S.  O.  47,  Par.  3,  Feb. 
16.  1919.  Headquarters  Camp  Grant,  111.  Said  Frank  Driscoll 
1984873  was  born  in  Chicago,  Illinois.  When  enlisted  he  was  25  5-12 
years  of  age  and  by  occupation  an  engineer.  He  had  grey  eyes,  dark 
hair,  dark  complexion,  and  was  5  feet  6  1-4  inches  in  height.  Given 
under  my  hand  at  Camp  Grant,  Illinois,  this  20th  day  of  February, 
1919.      Signed,  F.  L.  Martin,  Maj.  Air  Service,  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name :  Frank  Driscoll  1984873.  Grade :  Private.  Inducted 
September  18,  1917,  at  Staunton,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period 
at  date  of  discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Noncommissioned  offi- 
cer: Never.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating:  Not 
qualified.  Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements, 
skirmishes,  expeditions :  American  Expeditionary  Forces.  Knowledge 
of  any  vocation :  Engineer.  Wounds  received  in  service :  None. 
Physical  condition  when  discharged :  Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis 
completed  Oct.  9,  1917;  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis  completed  October 
6,1917.  Married  or  single :  Single.  Character:  Excellent.  Re- 
marks:    No  A.  W.  O.  L.    No  absence  under  G.  O.  31-12,  45-14;  en- 

97 


titled  to  travel  pay.  Signature  of  soldier :  Frank  Driscoll.  Camp 
Grant,  111.,  Feb.  20,  1919.  Paid  in  full  $32.21.  Signed:  Alex  C. 
McKelvey,  Capt.  Q.  M.  C,  D.  E.  Cowdrey,  2nd  Lieut.  Q.  M.  C.  Paul  H. 
Weiland,  Capt.  327th  F.  A.  Commanding  Battery  F. 

Engineer  School — 84th  division  :  This  is  to  certify  that  Frank 
Driscoll  Battery  F.  327th  F.  A.  completed  the  special  short  course 
in  the  Gas  and  Flame  and  Smoke  Department,  including  passage 
through  Gas  House.  Dated  this  19th  day  of  January,  1918.  Clifford 
E.  Bill,  2nd  Lieut.  Engrs.  R.  C.  Secretary.  Jarvis  J.  Bain,  Lieut. -Col. 
Engrs.  U.  S.  Commanding. 


HENRY  C.  ZIMMERMANN 


Henry  Carrol  Zimmermann,  son  of  Henry  W.  and  Lida  Clark 
Zimmermann,  was  born  in  Bethalto,  January  7,  1896.  The  parents  of 
Carrol  or  "Ted"  as  he  will  be  called  in  this  book,  have  lived  in  Bethalto 
more  than  forty  years,  and  Ted  spent  all  his  life  in  Bethalto,  receiving 
a  good  common  school  education  in  the  Bethalto  public  schools,  com- 
pleting the  Eighth  grade  work  at  the  age  of  13,  after  which  time  he 
assisted  the  parents  with  their  work. 

He  registered  for  the  draft  in  June,  1917,  but  was  not  called  until 
June  27,  1918,  when  he  left  for  Camp  Taylor,  arriving  at  Camp  Tay- 
lor in  company  with  Fred  Jones  and  Charley  Bartels,  whose  descrip- 
tions are  found  in  this  book.  Ted  was  placed  in  the  159th  Depot 
Brigade,  14th  company,  4th  Tr.  Bn. ;  he  took  the  physical  examination 
on  the  30th  of  June  and  the  mental  examination  on  the  first  of  July, 
passing  both  tests.  Ted  remained  in  the  159th  D.  B.  21  days,  during 
which  time  they  drilled,  hiked  and  exercised ;  the  treatment  by  the 
officers  was  fine,  even  the  corporals  and  sergeants  fraternized  with  the 
common  soldiers.  This  fraternization  between  corporals,  sergeants 
and  the  new  comers  was  especially  noticable  when  the  recruits  received 
cake,  lunch  or  other  dainties  from  loved  ones  at  home.  Ted  never 
got  in  bad  with  his  superior  officers  while  deviled  eggs,  roasted 
pigeons,  fruits,  and  well-filled  sandwiches  were  forthcoming. 

Thus  the  days  sped  along  at  Camp  Taylor;  it  was,  get  up  at  5  :15, 
stand  reveille,  march  back,  wash  up,  line  up  for  mess,  wash  dishes, 
sweep  out  the  barracks,  police  up  outside ;  at  7  march  to  the  drill  field, 
drill  till  11 :30,  eat  dinner,  drill  at  1 :30,  play  till  5  p.  m.,  stand  retreat 
at  5  :45,  eat  supper  and  then  be  free  for  the  rest  of  the  evening. 

Ted  received  his  uniform  on  the  3rd  of  July,  and  a  real  gini  on 
the  15th.      He  had  the  gun  just  long  enough  to  learn  to  love  it  and 

9$ 


about  the  time  he  was  beginning  to  feel  proud  of  it,  he  received  orders 
to  surrender  his  weapon  and  get  ready  to  leave  his  happy  home.  It 
was  on  the  evening  of  the  day  that  he  received  his  gun.  He  had 
barely  got  his  clothes  packed  up  when  he  was  sent  to  West  Point,  an 
artillery  camp  about  twenty  miles  away.  He  wondered  what  they 
would  give  him  next  to  play  with ;  when  he  lined  up  for  mess  the  next 
morning  he  looked  around  at  the  new  bunch  and  wondered  who  all 
those  old  timers  were  and  what  they  wanted  with  him,  only  a  recruit 
among  all  those  hardened  soldiers.  At  the  same  time  another  soldier 
in  the  line  watched  the  new  comer,  whose  actions  seemed  familiar  to 
him  until  their  eyes  met,  and  then  the  two,  "Ted"  and  Les.  Prehn 
recognized  each  other.  "Ted"  had  been  placed  in  the  same  company. 
He  was  ordered  to  take  examination  as  bugler ;  he  was  somewhat 
familiar  with  that  instrument,  and  passed  examination  all  right  and 
thus  became  bugler  Headquarters  Company  327th  Field  Artillery. 

He  had  gone  to  do  his  bit ;  he  had  done  his  bit  with  the  gun  and 
wondered  if  he  had  to  keep  that  instrument  more  than  a  day ;  but  they 
did  not  change  any  more  and  he  soon  became  efficient  in  the  art  of 
bugling.  A  bugler  is  not  always  in  good  standing  with  the  other  sol- 
diers on  account  of  that  familiar  call :  "You  got  to  get  up,  you  got  to 
get  up,  you  got  to  get  up  this  morning :"  but  the  parcels  from  home 
and  friends  containing  good  things  to  eat  soon  put  him  in  good  stand- 
ing with  his  associates  and  no  serious  trouble  was  anticipated.  .\ 
month  glided  smoothly  by  with  nothing  to  do  but  practicing  on  the 
bugle  and  making  calls  for  others  to  obey.  Pay  call  and  mess  call 
were  always  welcome  by  the  boys,  and  in  a  measure  made  up  for  those 
not  so  much  appreciated. 

On  the  25th  of  August  the  greatest  portion  of  the  327th.  326th 
and  325th  F.  A.  left  West  Point  for  New  York,  but  "Ted"  remained 
l)ehind.  he  being  the  only  bugler  left  in  camp  for  eight  days.  A  few 
guards  were  also  left  to  guard  the  camp  while  a  new  bunch  arrived. 
"Ted"  was  beginning  to  think  they  did  not  want  to  take  him  along, 
so  he  was  on  duty  192  hours  without  being  relieved,  for  there  was  no 
one  to  relieve  him ;  but  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  with  a  few  others 
were  ordered  to  pack  up  and  move.  When  they  reached  their  desti- 
nation they  were  at  Camp  Mills,  L.  I.,  where  the  others  had  gone  be- 
fore. They  hurried  up  and  equipped  him  with  overseas  clothing ;  for 
the  others  were  ready  to  go ;  and  by  the  8th  of  September  he  also  was 
ready  to  board  the  Orduna.  the  British  ship  that  was  to  take  them 
across  the  water. 

"Ted"  fared  pretty  well  on  the  boat — six  meals  a  day — three 
down  and  three  up — ;  but  he  had  nothing  to  do  but  eat  so  the  trip  was 

99 


made  without  any  further  trouble.  He  thought  of  the  good  things  to 
eat  while  at  Taylor  and  West  Point  and  really  made  himself  believe 
that  the  odor  coming  up  from  the  ship's  hold  was  not  quite  as  pleasant 
as  that  which  came  from  the  good  old  American  cooking.  This  did 
not  last  always,  for  after  14  days  of  zig-zagging  and  wig-wagging  they 
finally  reached  the  English  shore. 

After  getting  on  shore  they  traveled  the  same  route  that  many 
another  boy  traveled ;  "Ted"  saw  several  familiar  names  scribbled  on 
buildings,  by  that  he  knew  that  others  had  trod  the  same  path.  After 
resting  at  Winnal  Downs  a  few  days  they  hiked  a  distance  of  about 
16  miles ;  for  the  English  trainmen  were  on  a  strike.  "Ted"  felt  that 
the  trainmen  were  not  very  patriotic  but  when  he  compared  their  ac- 
tion with  the  quantity  of  food  he  received  on  his  16  mile  hike  he  won- 
dered why  they  did  not  strike  long  before  that.  He  had  a  handful  of 
English  money  that  he  had  received  in  changing  a  two  dollar  bill  and 
in  order  to  forget  all  the  past  he  gave  the  whole  handful  to  a  little  boy 
for  a  loaf  of  bread ;  thus  leaving  the  English  shore  as  free  as  when  he 
landed. 

On  the  evening  of  the  25th  of  September  he  was  packed  in  a  small 
boat  with  the  rest  of  his  bunch  and  crossed  the  channel  in  the  night. 
The  boat  was  barely  large  enough  to  afford  standing  room  for  the 
boys ;  but  in  spite  of  all  they  could  do  some  lay  down  on  the  floor,  ex- 
hausted from  the  day's  hike  and  lack  of  food. 

About  midnight  "Ted"  had  stood  up  as  long  as  he  could 
and  he  also  went  down.  He  laid  his  head  on  one  fellow's 
chest  and  stretched  his  feet  out  over  another,  who  was  also  asleep, 
but  did  not  awake.  "Ted"  woke  up  about  three  in  the 
morning  and  found  three  on  top  of  him,  also  asleep.  Morn- 
ing dawned  and  La  Havre  hove  in  sight  and  they  scrambled  to 
the  shore  where  they  started  on  a  six  mile  hike  up  the  hill  to  Camp 
No.  One ;  rested  all  day  and  all  night  and  then  went  back  to  La  Havre, 
boarded  the  train  for  Bordeaux  in  southern  France.  The  three-day 
ride  was  not  a  pleasant  one  for  the  Pullmans  were  a  little  too  crowded 
to  suit  him ;  but  he  was  not  paying  for  the  ride  and  it  suited  him  better 
than  the  16-mile  hike  in  England ;  and  although  crowded  it  was  not 
as  bad  as  it  had  been  on  the  Margarete  in  crossing  the  channel.  He 
knew  if  he  fared  poorly  many  another  boy  fared  v/orse. 

"Ted"  had  "flu"  about  eight  days  while  they  were  at  Camp  De 
Souge,  the  artillery  camp  about  16  miles  west  of  Bordeaux,  but  he 
did  not  have  it  as  bad  as  many  others,  for  he  was  able  to  eat  his  meals 
at  the  hospital  besides  the  skimpy  rations  of  some  of  the  others  who 
were  unable  to  eat.      He  still  had  his  bugle  and  he  continued  to  blow  it 

100 


until  they  returned  home.  After  the  armistice  was  signed  orders 
slacked  up  some  and  the  officers  were  not  quite  so  rigid  with  the  rules 
and  everything  went  along  pretty  fine.  On  the  12th  of  January  they 
got  orders  to  go  home  and  they  at  once  packed  up  to  leave.  There 
was  no  holding  back  by  anybody.  At  Genecourt  No.  One,  near  Bor- 
deaux they  were  deloused,  whether  it  was  needed  or  not.  The  camp 
had  been  kept  pretty  clean  and  no  cooties  in  the  camp  that  anybody 
knew  of;  but  you  had  to  go  through  the  mill.  At  Genecourt  No.  Two, 
they  shoveled  mud  while  they  waited  for  the  boat;  but  that  mattered 
nothing ;  every  step  they  took  was  putting  themselves  just  that  much 
nearer  home.  Nobody  was  left  behind,  several  boys  who  were  bare- 
ly able  to  creep  went  along  with  the  officers  and  some  of  the  stronger 
ones  carrying  their  baggage ;  anything  to  get  them  on  the  boat.  On 
the  24th  day  of  January  they  boarded  the  H.  R.  Mallory  and  started 
out  on  the  joy  ride  already  described.  It  was  an  awful  stormy  trip, 
they  averaged  about  seven  miles  an  hour  on  their  entire  trip  of  17 
days.  On  a  good  day's  run  they  could  turn  their  watches  back  about 
a  half  hour,  but  some  days  they  turned  them  back  but  about  seven 
minutes  showing  they  were  making  not  much  headway.  They  were 
going  up  and  down,  about  twice  as  far  as  forward,  but  the  up  and 
down,  swaying,  turning  and  twisting  did  not  give  them  much  head- 
way. Unlike  the  Orduna  the  Mallory  had  good  eats,  but  it  would 
not  stay  with  the  boys  and  some  were  sick  all  the  way  across  and  still 
dizzy  when  they  landed ;  and  no  one  expressed  the  desire  to  take  a 
trip  like  that  over  again. 

The  boat  landed  on  the  5th  of  February  and  they  proceeded  at 
once  to  Camp  Merritt  where  the  company  split  up  to  go  to  their  near- 
est camp  to  be  discharged.  "Ted"  was  sent  to  Camp  Grant  where  he 
was  discharged  on  the  19th  of  February,  reaching  home  early  the 
next  morning. 

Following  is  his  discharge  and  enlistment  record : 
Honorable  Discharge  from  the  United  States  Army.  To  all 
whom  it  may  concern:  This  is  to  certify  that  Henry  Carroll  Zim- 
mermann,  3702473,  Bugler  Headquarters  Company  327th  Field  Artil- 
lery, the  United  States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful 
service  is  hereby  honorably  discharged  from  the  military  service  of 
the  United  States  by  reason  of  the  convenience  of  the  government. 
Per  S.  O.  46.  Par.  33  Hq.  Camp  Grant,  111.,  2-15-19.  Said  Henry 
Carroll  Zimmermann  was  born  in  Bethalto  in  the  State  of  Illinois. 
When  enlisted  he  was  22  years  of  age,  and  by  occupation  a  bee  keeper. 
He  had  grey  eyes,  brown  hair,  fair  complexion,  and  was  5  feet  8  3-4 


101 


inches  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp  Grant,  Illinois,  this 
19th  day  of  February,  1919.  F.  L.  Martin,  Major  Air  Service,  U.  S. 
A.  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name :  Henry  Carroll  Zimmermann.  Grade :  Bugler.  Inducted 
June  28th,  1918,  at  Alton,  Illinois.  Serving  in  first  enlistment  period 
at  date  of  discharge.  Prior  service:  None.  Noncommissioned  offi- 
cer :  Never.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualifications  or  rating :  Not 
qualified.  Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements, 
skirmishes,  expeditions :  .\merican  Expeditionary  Forces  from 
September  8,  1918,  to  February  4,  1919.  Wounds  received  in  service : 
None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged :  Good.  Typhoid 
Prophylaxis  completed  July  14,  1918;  Paratyphoid  Prophylaxis  com- 
pleted July  14,  1918.  Married  or  single  :  Single.  Character :  Ex- 
cellent. Remarks :  No  A.  W.  O.  L.  and  no  absence  under  G.  O. 
45-14  or  31-12;  entitled  to  travel  pay.  Signature  of  soldier:  Henry 
Carroll  Zimmermann.  Marion  C.  Patton,  1st  Lieut.  327th  Field 
Artillery  Commanding  Hq.  Co.  327th  F.  A.,  Camp  Grant,  111.,  Feb. 
19,  1919.  Paid  in  full,  $30.42.  Alex  C.  McKelvey,  Capt.  Q.  M. 
Corps. 


GENE  Mccracken 


Gene  McCracken,  son  of  J.  W.  and  Anna  McCracken,  was  born 
in  Reno,  111.,  April  22,  1894.  The  family  moved  to  Bethalto  in  1902, 
where  Gene  attended  school.  On  account  of  a  bruised  shinbone  he  was 
sent  to  the  Litchfield  hospital  and  in  order  to  save  the  limb  the  shin- 
bone  had  to  be  removed.  He  did  not  walk  for  more  than  a  year ;  but 
after  living  in  Bethalto  awhile  he  grew  in  strength,  and  a  new  bone 
grew  where  the  old  one  had  been  removed. 

His  father  having  a  good  education,  and  being  principal  of  the 
Bethalto  schools  about  eight  years,  gave  Gene  a  good  common  school 
education.  After  completing  the  course  in  the  common  schools  he 
took  two  terms  of  high  school  work ;  after  which  time  he  went  to  the 
Alton  Business  College,  graduating  in  stenography  and  short-hand  at 
the  age  of  18.  After  graduating  from  the  Business  College  he  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  stenographer  for  the  Western  Cartridge  Com- 
pany, but  on  account  of  the  low  pay  stenographers  received  at  that 
time  he  was  forced  to  abandon  this  position ;  and  accepted  a  position 
as  inspector  at  the  Western  of  shells  for  small  arms  and  ammunition. 
This  position  he  held  until  the  spring  of  1918. 

102 


He  registered  in  June,  1917,  and  tried  to  enlist  in  the  navy,  but  at 
that  time  all  enlistments  were  stopped,  for  the  navy  had  more  recruits 
than  it  needed.  As  inspector  of  shells  he  had  no  release  from  the 
Western;  however,  he  received  a  release  from  the  Exemption  Board 
to  get  into  the  navy.  After  making  three  attempts  to  get  into  some 
branch  of  the  service  he  finally  succeeded  in  getting  Mr.  McAdams  of 
Alton,  at  that  time  on  the  exemption  board,  to  consent  to  have  him 
take  the  place  of  some  one  who  begged  to  be  placed  in  the  deferred 
class.  It  happened  thus  that  Gene  left  Alton  on  September  7th,  1918, 
w^ith  the  Alton  contingent  for  Camp  Custer.  Will  Neunaber,  Ed, 
Neunaber  and  George  Deist,  from  Bethalto,  left  for  the  same  camp  on 
the  same  train ;  landing  at  Camp  Custer  the  next  afternoon.  Gene 
was  placed  in  the  quarantine  camp  or  Depot  Brigade  for  12  days  and 
after  that  time  he  was  placed  in  the  42nd  Field  Artillery,  remaining 
in  the  42nd  F.  A.  but  three  days.  He  took  chauffeur's  examination, 
thii  king  the  42nd  would  become  motorized,  and  after  finding  out  this 
wa  not  true  he  begged  to  be  transferred  to  the  10th  infantry ;  which 
traiisfc.  was  granted  and  made,  thus  becoming  part  of  the  10th  in- 
fantry, 14th  division. 

About  the  time  the  14th  Division  was  ready  to  cross  the  water, 
Spanish  influenza  took  such  a  hold  on  the  division,  nearly  every  mem- 
ber of  the  14th  Division  having  "flu,"  and  600  dying  with  it,  that  the 
preparation  for  the  departure  had  to  be  postponed. 

Gene  was  in  the  hospital  more  than  a  month  and  although  having 
a  severe  case  of  "flu,"  through  the  good  care  of  the  nurses  and  soldier 
friends  he  recovered.  These  were  sad  days  in  camp  for  everybody. 
The  armistice  was  signed  before  the  14th  Division  had  fully  recovered 
from  this  dreaded  disease.  Gene  remained  in  the  10th  Infantry,  14th 
Division,  until  after  the  armistice  was  signed  and  expected  to  receive 
his  discharge  on  the  14th  of  December;  but  on  account  of  the  knowl- 
edge he  had  gained  as  inspector  of  shells  at  the  Western  the  order  for 
his  discharge  was  withdrawn  and  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
ammunition  magazine. 

He  was  made  sergeant  in  January,  1919,  and  the  next  month  he 
was  made  first  sergeant.  His  duties  at  this  time  were  mostly  of  a 
clerical  nature.  The  14th  Division  was  turning  in  all  their  supplies 
and  a  record  had  to  be  kept  of  everything  that  was  being  turned  in. 
Capt.  Bibberson  was  in  charge  of  the  10th  Infantry,  Co.  B. 

Gene  had  two  furloughs  during  his  stay  in  the  service,  one  on  New 
Year's  Day,  and  the  second  in  April,  and  returning  on  the  21st  day 
of  April  resumed  his  duty  with  the  clerical  force.  Much  of  the  14th 
division  equipment  had  been  turned  in,  such  as  artillery  equipment, 

103 


75's,  etc.,  ammunition,  rifles,  etc.,  which  required  careful  work ;  and 
besides  Camp  Custer  had  been  made  a  demobilization  camp  where  sol- 
diers were  discharged  whose  homes  were  in  the  north  and  west ;  and 
a  list  of  their  equipment,  such  as  guns  and  packs,  had  to  be  listed  and 
taken  care  of.  Gene  held  the  position  to  within  the  last  month  of  his 
service  and  he  held  the  rank  of  Sergeant,  first-class,  during  the  time 
up  to  his  discharge. 

While  he  was  in  the  army  he  made  A-No.  1  rating  in  the  psychol- 
ogical test  with  which  every  soldier  is  familiar.  Very  few  in  the 
army  received  this  rating,  even  officers  fell  below  B  2,  which  was  de- 
clared good,  and  many  a  soldier  was  satisfied  to  get  a  C  rating.  He 
also  made  258  out  of  300,  which,  if  he  was  shooting  for  a  record  would 
give  him  expert  rifleman,  but  he  could  not  qualify  on  the  range.  Dur- 
ing June,  his  last  month  in  the  army,  he  was  chauffeur  for  Captain 
Ordway,  who  was  captain  of  the  110th  Ordnance. 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Gene  E. 
McCracken,  No.  4723571,  Sergeant,  1st  class,  110th  Ordnance  Depot 
Co.,  the  United  States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful 
service,  is  hereby  honorably  discharged  from  the  military  service  of 
the  United  States  by  reason  of  Cir.  No.  77,  W.  D.  1918.  Said  Gene 
E.  McCracken,  No.  4723571,  was  born  in  Reno,  in  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois. When  enlisted  he  was  24  years,  4  months  of  age,  and  by  occu- 
pation a  chauffeur.  He  had  blue  eyes,  light  brown  hair,  ruddy  com- 
plexion, and  was  5  feet  6  1-2  inches  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand 
at  Camp  Custer,  Mich.,  this  3rd  day  of  July.  1919.  John  F.  Ordway, 
Capt.  Ord.  U.  S.  A.  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  Gene  E.  McCracken,  Grade  Sergt.  1st  class.  Inducted 
Sept.  5,  1918  at  Alton,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at  date  of 
discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Non  commissioned  officer. 
Corporal  S.  O.  Hqr.  11-8-18.  Sgt.  S.  O.  64  Par.  1  Hqrs.  3-6-19;  Sgt. 
1st.  S.  O.  90  Par  4  Hqrs.  4-1-19.  Unqualified  score,  5  ranges  258. 
Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes,  ex- 
peditions :  None.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation :  Chauffeur,  Wounds 
received  in  service :  None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged : 
Good.  Typhoid  Prophylaxis  completed  Sept.  19,  1918.  Paratyphoid 
Prophylaxis  completed  Sept.  19,  1918.  Married  or  single :  Single. 
Character :  Excellent.  Remarks  :  Service  honest  and  faithful ;  no 
A.  W.  O.  L.    No  absence  under  G.  O.  45  or  31.      Entitled  to  travel 

104 


pay  to  Bethalto,  111.  Signature  of  soldier:  Gene  E.  McCracken. 
John  F.  Ordway,  Capt.  Ord.  U.  S.  A.  Commanding  110th  Ord.  Depot 
Co.,  Camp  Custer,  Battle  Creek,  Mich.,  July  3,  1919.  Paid  in  full, 
$131.15,  including  bonus  gov.  of  $60.00.  By  Capt.  F.  A.  Tallmadge, 
F.  A..  U.  S.  A.  Disbursing  Officer. 


HERMAN  OLTEOFF 

Herman  Olthofif,  son  of  George  and  Wilhelmina  Olthoff,  and 
brother  of  Elmer,  whose  description  is  found  in  this  book,  was  born  in 
Bethalto  on  the  first  of  March,  1899.  His  entire  youth  was  spent  in 
Bethalto.  He  went  to  the  Bethalto  school  completing  his  Eighth 
grade  work.  During  his  student  years  and  after  he  graduated  from 
the  Bethalto  school  he  remained  home  with  his  parents  excepting  a 
short  period  when  he  worked  for  the  Western  Cartridge  Company  at 
East  Alton.  He  was  working  for  the  Western  at  the  time  he  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  into  the  Army. 

Herman  applied  for  enlistment  in  the  Navy  the  21st  of  June,  1917, 
in  St.  Louis,  but  he  failed  to  pass  the  examination.  Undaunted,  he 
applied  for  enlistment  in  the  U.  S.  Marines  on  the  same  day ;  and  as 
before  was  rejected,  failing  in  the  physical  examination.  On  July  4th 
he  tried  again,  this  time  applying  for  enlistment  in  the  U.  S.  Army 
and  passed.  He  was  sworn  in  on  the  6th  of  July,  1917.  He  volun- 
teered for  the  duration  of  the  war.  He  was  18  years  of  age  at  the 
time  of  his  enlistment,  and  was  one  of  the  youngest  to  go  from 
Bethalto. 

He  was  stationed  at  Jefferson  Barracks  from  July  6th  to  July 
16th,  when  he,  with  many  others,  was  sent  to  Fort  Snelling,  Minn., 
where  he  arrived  the  next  day.  Two  new  regiments  of  infantry  were 
being  organized,  the  40th  and  41st  infantry.  He  was  in  the  5th  re- 
cruiting camp  eleven  days  and  was  then  transferred  to  the  40th  in- 
fantry, Co.  G,  July  28,  1917. 

On  August  4th  he  received  his  first  rifle,  a  Springfield  model, 
1996.  On  August  31st  the  40th  Infantry  paraded  at  night  in  St.  Paul, 
Minn.  On  the  6th  and  7th  of  September  the  7th,  36th,  40th  and  41st 
Infantry  paraded  at  the  Minnesota  State  Fair. 

On  Nov.  2,  the  3rd  battalion  of  the  40th  Infantry  left  Fort  Snell- 
ing to  do  guard  duty  at  Fort  Sheridan,  111.  On  Nov.  12,  Herman 
started  shooting  for  a  record  at  Fort  Snelling ;  he  finished  shooting  on 
the  17th,  making  230  points,  thus  qualifying  as  marksman,  and  receiv- 
ing two  dollars  a  month  more    for  a  year.       Boys  in    camps   often 

lOS 


showed  patriotism  not  only  in  serving  Uncle  Sam  in  the  Army  but 
also  to  parade  for  the  benefit  of  Liberty  Loan  organizations,  and  in 
October,  1917,  Herman  and  every  member  of  his  company  purchased 
Liberty  Bonds. 

On  Nov.  29th,  the  first  battalion  of  the  40th  Infantry  was  sent  to 
Fort  Riley,  Kansas,  to  do  guard  duty.  On  Dec.  8th,  the  second  bat- 
talion left  Fort  Snelling  to  join  the  third  battalion  at  Fort  Sheridan. 
Weather  was  very  severe  during  the  winter  of  1917  and  1918,  and 
when  the  boys  left  Fort  Sheridan  it  was  26  degrees  below  zero.  Arriv- 
ing at  Fort  Sheridan  Dec.  9,  each  member  of  the  company  received  a 
serial  number,  Herman's  being  945734.  On  January  23,  1918,  Her- 
man received  a  five  day  pass  to  Bethalto,  his  home.  On  April  8  the 
company  paraded  in  Chicago.  On  April  30th  seven  gassed  soldiers 
arrived  at  Chicago  from  France  and  to  honor  the  boys  who  had  re- 
turned, Companies  G  and  H  were  sent  to  Chicago  to  welcome  the  boys 
home.  These  companies  and  the  gassed  boys  were  used  in  Chicago 
to  assist  in  the  Third  Liberty  Loan.  On  May  19th,  Co.  G  was  sent 
on  detached  duty  to  Chicago  to  guard  the  Pennsylvania  Terminal 
freight  depot  on  Polk  and  River  street  which  the  government  had 
taken  over,  and  was  using  as  a  quartermaster  corps  storehouse.  On 
June  11th  the  company  was  relieved  in  Chicago  and  was  sent  back  to 
Fort  Sheridan.  On  June  13  Herman  received  the  new  1917  model 
Enfield  rifle  and  bayonet.  On  July  28th  the  company  left  Fort 
Sheridan  for  Camp  Custer,  Mich. 

The  14th  Division  was  being  organized  at  Camp  Custer.  Two 
regiments,  the  10th  and  40th,  had  been  sent  there  for  the  purpose  of 
organizing  other  regiments.  The  10th  organized  the  77th  infantry 
and  the  40th  organized  the  78th  Infantry,  and  on  August  5th  Herman 
with  34  other  men  was  transferred  to  the  78th  Infantry.  Each  com- 
pany in  the  40th  Infantry  sent  36  men  to  organize  companies  in  the 
new  regiment.  On  August  26,  Herman*  became  mechanic  in  Co.  G. 
of  the  78th  Infantry.  In  September,  Herman  received  part  of  his 
overseas  equipment,  having  finished  the  gas  drills,  they  had  been  in- 
spected by  the  General  Inspector  from  Washington,  D.  C. 

They  were  scheduled  to  leave  the  embarkation  camp  for  France 
October  15th,  but  on  the  28th  of  September  Camp  Custer  was  put 
under  quarantine  on  account  of  Spanish  influenza  and  the  quarantine 
was  not  lifted  until  the  7th  of  November  just  four  days  before  the 
signing  of  the  armistice  which  ended  all  preparation  for  any  further 
movements. 

In  January  orders  were  issued  to  demobilize  the  78th  Infantry 
and  Herman  received  his  discharge  on  the  28th  day  of  January,  1919, 

106 


serving  faithfully  one  year  and  seven  months.  Following  is  a  list  of 
officers  under  whom  Herman  served  :  Major  Roche,  commanding  the 
40th  Infantry  at  Fort  Snelling  when  Herman  was  assigned  to  Co.  G. 
40th  Infantry ;  Second  Lieut.  John  Maurer  was  temporary  commander 
and  was  succeeded  by  First  Lieut.  W.  E.  Duvendeck.  While  at  Fort 
Sheridan,  Duvendeck  was  promoted  to  captain,  and  he  became  Her- 
man's company  commander  until  Herman  was  transferred  to  the  78th 
Infantry.  Col.  Ralph  McCoy  was  in  command  of  the  78th  Infantry, 
and  Maj.  Gen.  Hutchinson  in  command  of  the  14th  Division. 

Following  is  his  discharge  from  the  U.  S.  Army. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Herman 
Olthoff  945734,  mechanic  Co.  G.  78th  Infantry,  the  United  States 
Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby  honor- 
ably discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States  by  rea- 
son of  general  demobilization.  Said  Herman  Olthoff  was  born  in 
Bethalto  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  when  enlisted  he  was  18  4-12  years  of 
age,  and  by  occupation  a  laborer.  He  had  blue  eyes,  light  brown 
hair,  ruddy  complexion  and  was  5  feet  6  inches  in  height.  Given 
under  my  hand  at  Camp  Custer,  Mich.,  this  28th  day  of  January,  1919. 
Ralph  McCoy,  Colonel  78th  Infantry,  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name  :  Herman  Olthoff,  945734,  Grad  :  Mechanic.  Enlisted  : 
July  6,  1917,  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  Mo.,  serving  in  first  enlistment 
period  at  date  of  discharge.  Prior  service  :  None.  Non-commissioned 
officer:  Mechanic  Aug.  26,  1918.  Marksmanship.  Gunner  qualifica- 
tion or  rating :  Marksman.  Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles, 
engagements,  skirmishes,  expeditions :  None.  Knowledge  of  any 
vocation:  Laborer.  Wounds  received  in  service:  None.  Physical 
condition  when  discharged:  Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed 
July  29,  1917.  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis  completed,  July  29,  1917. 
Married  or  single :  Single.  Character :  Excellent.  Remarks : 
Jefferson  Barracks,  Mo.,  July  6.  1917  to  July  16,  1917.,  Co.  G.  40th 
Inf.  July  16,  1917  to  Aug.  5.  1918.  Co.  G.  78th  Inf.  Aug.  5,  1918  to 
date  of  discharge.  Signature  of  soldier:  Herman  Olthoff.  W.  E. 
Buck,  Capt.  78th  Inf.  Commanding  Co.  G. 


107 


JAMES  FRED  JONES 

James  Fred  Jones,  son  of  Edward  and  Louisa  E.  Jones,  was  born 
in  Fort  Russell  township  on  the  old  Jones  farm,  one  mile  east  of 
Bethalto,  December  16,  1893.  His  early  childhood  was  spent  on  the 
home  farm  and  going  to  the  home  school  until  he  was  sixteen  years 
old.  He  received  a  good  common  school  education  at  this,  the  Grove 
school,  and  his  teachers  always  considered  him  a  model  pupil  on  ac- 
count of  his  mild  and  agreeable  disposition.  He  was  obedient  to  his 
parents  and  remained  with  them  until  his  father  died.  His  father 
died  when  Fred  was  18  years  old.  His  father  was  a  Civil  War  vet- 
eran, having  served  for  three  years  and  three  months  in  Co.  K,  10th 
111.  Vol.  Inf.,  enlisting  at  the  age  of  19  under  Captain  Lusk,  of  Ed- 
wardsville. 

After  the  death  of  Edward  Jones,  Fred  went  to  work  for  the 
neighbors  doing  farm  work.  While  working  on  a  farm  near  Carroll- 
ton,  Greene  county,  it  came  time  to  register  in  June,  1917,  and  he  reg- 
istered in  that  district.  It  happened  thus  that  Fred  left  for  the  army 
from  Carrollton,  111.  Fred  tried  to  enlist  in  the  navy,  but  the  Car- 
rollton  officials  would  give  him  no  release,  so  he  had  to  wait  until  his 
name  was  drawn.  He  went  with  the  Greene  county  contingent  in  the 
draft  that  left  Carrollton  June  28th,  1918,  for  Camp  Taylor,  Ky. 

Mrs.  Louisia  E.  Jones,  Fred's  mother,  left  the  farm  several  years 
ago  and  moved  the  family  to  Bethalto.  The  description  of  Fred's 
life  from  the  time  he  reached  Camp  Taylor  until  his  death  at  Camp 
Eustis  has  been  taken  from  letters  that  he  wrote  to  his  mother  at 
Bethalto.  As  stated  before,  Fred  left  for  Camp  Taylor,  Ky.,  with  the 
Greene  county  contingent ;  he  was  with  the  Greene  county  boys  in- 
stead of  Bethalto  boys  with  whom  he  was  better  acquainted.  He 
arrived  at  Camp  Taylor  in  the  morning  of  the  29th  of  June,  and  was 
placed  in  the  35th  Co.  9th  Tr.  Bn,  159th  Depot  Brigade.  Although 
many  of  his  friends  from  this  vicinity  were  on  the  same  train,  he  men- 
tions having  seen  Bill  Stahlhut,  Bill  Zoelzer  and  "Ted"  Zimmermann, 
but  being  thrown  out  of  their  company  he  never  got  a  chance  to  talk 
to  them,  and  on  the  15th  of  July  he  left  Camp  Taylor,  a  place  he  had 
learned  to  like.  He  was  sent  to  Camp  Greenleaf,  Georgia.  On  the 
way  to  Camp  Greenleaf  he  passed  many  interesting  spots,  among  which 
was  Lookout  Mountain  of  Civil  War  fame. 

At  Camp  Greenleaf,  Fort  Oglethorpe,  Ga.,  he  v/as  transferred  to 
the  Medical  Corps.  Fort  Oglethorpe  contained  old  monuments  and 
many  old  cannon,  having  been  some  old  battle  ground  in  the  Civil 
war.  Situated  about  three  miles  from  the  camp  was  a  German  prison 
camp,  where  there  were  more  than  5000  German  prisoners.      In  com- 

108 


parison  with  Camp  Taylor,  Camp  Greenleaf  was  very  hot  and  dry,  and 
though  the  food  was  pretty  good  at  Greenleaf,  Camp  Taylor  had  it 
beat  and  he  wished  he  could  be  back  at  old  Taylor ;  but  according  to 
reports  he  would  not  be  long  at  Greenleaf  and  the  29th  of  July  found 
him  at  Camp  Eustis,  Va.,  18  miles  from  Newport  News. 

Camp  Eustis  was  a  new  camp  and  much  work  had  to  be  done  there 
to  drain  a  swamp  which  made  it  unhealthy,  and  before  he  had  been 
there  a  week  he  was  in  quarantine.  Upon  arrival  at  Camp  Eustis  Fred 
was  placed  in  the  Hospital  Corps,  47th  regiment  C.  A.  C.  He  had 
very  little  chance  to  go  anywhere  on  account  of  sickness  in  the  camp 
and  shortage  of  food.  He  went  to  see  his  brother  Arthur,  who  was 
stationed  at  Newport  News  at  that  time,  and  Arthur  visited  him  once. 
The  last  letter  from  Fred  that  was  received  by  the  family  was  written 
on  the  28th  of  September ;  in  it  he  states  that  there  are  many  sick  with 
Spanish  Influenza,  and  that  he  is  working  in  the  hospital  taking  care 
of  the  sick. 

On  the  morning  of  October  4th,  Mrs.  Louisa  E.  Jones,  mother  of 
Fred,  received  a  telegram  regretting  to  advise  her  that  her  son.  Private 
James  F.  Jones,  Medical  Detachment,  is  seriously  ill  at  the  base  hos- 
pital with  influenza.  The  following  morning  she  received  a  telegram 
from  Riley,  the  commanding  officer,  that  her  son  had  died  at  8:15 
a.  m.  October  5th.  Cause  of  his  death  being  influenza  complicated  by 
broncho-pneumonia. 

Thus  ended  the  career  of  a  brave  and  obedient  son  and  soldier,  a 
son  whose  thoughts  were  always  of  home  and  mother,  a  soldier  who 
served  his  country  as  truly  and  died  as  truly  as  if  he  had  fallen  on  the 
field  of  battle.  Fred  will  be  remembered  by  everybody  as  a  mild- 
tempered  boy  and  the  mother  and  family  receive  the  sympathy  of 
friends  and  neighbors  in  the  great  loss  they  have  sustained. 


ARTHUR  JONES. 

Arthur  Jones,  son  of  Edward  and  Louisa  E.  Jones,  and  brother  of 
the  late  Private  Fred  Jones,  was  born  on  the  Jones  farm  March  25th, 
1900.  He  attended  the  Grove  school  in  Fort  Russell  township  six 
years  and  after  his  mother  moved  to  Bethalto  in  1913  he  attended  the 
Bethalto  school  until  he  was  16  years  of  age,  reaching  the  Eighth 
grade  work.      His  father  died  when  Arthur  was  11  years  old. 

After  graduating  from  the  Bethalto  school  he  worked  at  the 
Western  Cartridge  Works  for  a  while ;  but  the  fever  that  took  his 
father  to  the  army  when  he  was  but  19  years  old  during  the    Civil 

109 


War  also  took  Arthur  to  the  World  War  when  he  was  but  18  years 
old..  Emulating  his  father's  bravery,  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  April 
8,  1918,  to  enlist  in  the  U.  S.  Army.  Although  only  18  years  of  age 
he  succeeded  in  the  examination  and  was  made  a  U.  S.  soldier  on  the 
11th  of  April.  He  remained  at  Jefferson  Barracks  about  ten  days 
and  was  sent  from  there  to  Camp  Stuart,  Va.,  where  he  was  placed  in 
Co.  L.  48th  Infantry,  serving  in  the  same  company  during  his  enlist- 
ment period. 

Reaching  Camp  Stuart  April  18th,  he  drilled  for  three  weeks  and 
was  then  sent  to  Newport  News,  Va.,  to  do  military  police  duty  up  to 
September  12th,  when  he  was  sent  back  to  Camp  Stuart.  Camp 
Stuart  is  located  on  the  outskirts  of  Newport  News  on  the  James 
river ;  the  camp  being  used  only  as  an  embarkation  camp  and  the  drill- 
ing he  received  there  was  for  the  purpose  of  preparing  him  for  mili- 
tary police  duty  at  Newport  News.  The  48th  regiment  was  used  to 
do  guard  duty  at  Newport  News  until  a  company  of  domestic  service 
men  from  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  reached  the  place  to  relieve  them.  Do- 
mestic service  men  were  those  who  failed  in  the  examination  for  over- 
seas duty. 

Arthur  left  Camp  Stuart,  Va.,  September  14th,  for  Camp  Sevier. 
S.  C,  and  landed  there  September  15th.  He  started  training  at  once 
for  overseas  duty,  and  trained  and  drilled  every  day  on  an  average  of 
eight  hours  until  the  arm.istice  was  signed.  After  the  armistice  the 
drilling  lessened  somewhat  to  about  five  hours  a  day  until  December 
14,  when  he  left  Camp  Sevier,  S.  C,  for  Camp  Jackson,  S.  C,  about 
five  miles  from  the  city  of  Columbia.  Although  a  few  other  outfits 
received  a  little  training  at  Camp  Sevier  it  was  mainly  used  as  a  train- 
ing camp  for  the  infantry.  This  camp  was  about  four  miles  from 
Greenville,  S.  C,  an  inland  town. 

At  Jefferson  Barracks  the  treatment  and  the  food  was  good,  but 
the  work  was  hard ;  at  Camp  Stuart  the  treatment  and  food  was  also 
good  and  the  officers  were  fine  fellov/s ;  at  Newport  News,  Arthur  was 
stationed  on  the  third  floor  in  a  large  building  on  Washington  avenue. 
Guard  duty  was  light  work.  The  soldiers  were  six  hours  "on"  and 
18  "off"  as  it  was  called.  The  main  thing  to  do  was  to  see  that  sol- 
diers behaved  according  to  the  regulations  of  the  army.  White  sol- 
diers could  roam  over  the  city  as  much  as  they  desired  and  needed  no 
passes,  but  the  colored  soldiers  needed  passes  and  it  was  the  duty  of 
the  guard  to  see  that  all  colored  soldiers  who  entered  or  roamed  about 
the  city  had  passes.  It  was  fine  to  soldier  in  Newport  News.  Meals 
were  regular  and  food  was  fine.  At  Camp  Sevier  the  food  was  good, 
and  officers  all  fine  fellows ;  climate  mild ;  although  the  nights  were 

no 


cold  the  weather  was  more  pleasant  than  any,  food  and  general  treat- 
ment fine  and  nothing  to  do  but  guard  duty,  which  consisted  of 
regimental  guard  and  camp  guard.  Regimental  guard  meant  two  hours 
on  and  four  hours  ofif  for  a  day  an  average  of  twice  a  month.  Camp 
guard  meant  four  hours  on  and  eight  hours  oflf  twice  in  24  hours.  One 
day  guard  duty,  the  other  drilling. 

Although  every  soldier  in  Arthur's  regiment  had  Spanish  In- 
fluenza not  one  was  lost,  owing  to  the  good  treatment  and  climatic 
conditions  favoring  the  patients.  It  was  too  early  to  experience  much 
influenza  while  at  the  other  camps.  It  was  early  and  the  "flu"  season 
had  not  started.  Thus  the  days  rolled  by  until  the  18th  of  March 
arrived  when  he  was  discharged  from  the  service  having  served  almost 
a  year.  He  was  home  on  a  furlough  only  once  and  that  was  the  time 
he  attended  his  brother's  funeral,  who  was  sent  home  from  Camp 
Eustis  to  be  buried. 

Arthur  reached  home  on  the  20th  day  of  March,  1919.  Follow- 
ing is  his  discharge.  Honorable  discharge  from  the  United  States 
Army.  To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Arthur 
A.  Jones  No.  464621,  Private,  Co.  L.  48th  Infantry,  the  United  States 
Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service  is  hereby  honor- 
ably discharged  from  the  military  of  the  United  States  Army,  by  rea- 
son of  Cir.  77  W.  Dep.  Rel.  per  par.  6,  S.  O.  72.  Hqrs.  Camp  Jack- 
son, S.  C.  Dated  March  13,  1919.  Said  Arthur  A.  Jones,  No.  464621, 
was  born  in  Bethalto  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  When  enlisted  he  was 
18  years  of  age,  and  by  occupation  a  laborer.  He  had  blue  eyes,  brown 
hair,  fair  complexion,  and  was  5  feet  3  inches  in  height.  Given  under 
my  hand  at  Camp  Jackson,  S.  C.  this  18th  day  of  March,  1919.  G.  E. 
Cronin,  Major  48th  Infantry  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  Arthur  A.  Jones,  No.  464621.  Grade:  Private.  Enlisted 
April  11,  1918,  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at 
date  of  discharge.  Prior  service  :  None.  Noncommissioned  officer : 
Never.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating:  Unqualified. 
Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes, 
expeditions  :  None.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation :  Laboring.  Wounds 
received  in  service :  None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged : 
Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed  April  17,  1918,  triple.  Mar- 
ried or  single:  Single.  Character:  Excellent.  Remarks:  Co.  L. 
48th  Infantry  from  April  22,  1918.  to  date  of  discharge.  No  A.  W. 
O.  L.  under  A.  W.  107.  Entitled  to  travel  pay  to  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Signature  of  soldier :  Arthur  A.  Jones.  Final  statement  paid  March 
18,  1919,  $111.05.  John  L.  Hongardy,  Captain  48th  Infantry.  Com- 
manding Co.  L.  $60.00  bonus  paid,  1406  Rev.  Act,  1918. 

Ill 


ARTHUR  GEORGE  ELLIOTT 

Arthur  G.  Elliott,  son  of  John  R.  and  Lizzie  Elliott,  was  born  in 
Bethalto  July  19,  1898.  He  attended  the  Bethalto  school  until  he 
graduated  from  the  Eighth  grade.  After  he  graduated  he  worked  for 
the  Western  Cartridge  Company.  When  the  war  broke  out  he,  like  his 
grandfather,  John  D.  Elliott,  who  was  a  Civil  War  veteran,  longed  for 
action  and  assisted  Uncle  Sam  in  the  cause  for  freedom. 

He  tried  the  navy  in  December  of  1917,  but  the  examination  board 
told  him  he  was  color  blind  and  rejected  him.  He  waited  until  April 
9,  1918,  when  he  tried  the  army  and  was  accepted.  He  was  sent  to 
Jefferson  Barracks  and  was  placed  in  the  27th  company  until  the  23rd 
day  of  May,  1918,  during  which  time  he  drilled  and  hiked,  paraded 
and  practiced.  He  received  his  uniform,  rifle  and  other  equipment 
at  Jefferson  Barracks.  Arthur  Elliott  and  Arthur  Jones  were  pretty 
much  together;  they  had  left  Alton  together  to  enlist  and  both  had 
succeeded  and  were  together  at  Jefferson  Barracks ;  but  for  a  time 
only.  Arthur  was  sent  to  Camp  Stuart,  Newport  News,  Va.,  re- 
maining there  two  weeks  and  was  then  put  in  Co.  G.  48th  Infantry  at 
Camp  Casino,  right  in  the  heart  of  Newport  News.  He  was  at  once 
put  to  work  doing  guard  duty,  guarding  piers  at  the  C.  &  O.  railroad 
terminus.  This  was  a  large  shipping  point  and  much  war  material 
and  many  soldiers  left  the  pier  every  day  for  France.  Arthur  and 
his  company  soon  became  quite  efficient  in  their  line  of  duty  and  it 
soon  became  known  that  guarding  a  pier  was  as  important  a  duty  as 
guarding  trenches.  Large  ships,  such  as  the  Martha  Washington, 
President  Grant,  and  many  others  arrived  or  sailed.  Their  duty  was 
to  see  that  no  one  entered  without  a  pass  properly  signed  and  sealed. 
Arthur  was  on  duty  two  hours  on  and  four  hours  off  every  other  day ; 
one  day's  rest  and  one  day's  duty,  the  same  thing  over  and  over  until 
the  game  became  monotonous.  Capt.  Wayne  Horton,  Co.  G,  and  Col. 
Grote  of  the  48th  regiment,  were  in  command,  and  they  performed 
their  duty  with  precision.  The  object  was  to  let  no  one  pass  who  had 
no  pass  and  Arthur  while  on  duty  had  the  pleasure  to  demand  a  pass 
from  Secretary  Baker,  Admiral  Sims,  many  generals,  and  other  high 
officials.  It  mattered  not  to  Arthur  who  he  v/as  or  what  position  he 
held,  every  one  had  to  walk  the  chalk-line  for  him,  and  on  account  of 
the  good  service  this  regiment  was  performing  Washington  ordered 
the  company  to  remain  on  duty  while  things  looked  suspicious.  They 
had  tried  other  companies  but  found  them  too  easy.  Newport  News 
was  dry  territory,  and  much  booze  Vv^as  being  smuggled  into  the  city 
from  the  ships  that  were  coming  in  every  day.  This  smuggling  was 
checked  to  a  great  extent.      Thus  guarding  continued  until  September, 

112 


when  they  were  relieved  and  sent  to  Camp  Sevier,  near  Greenville, 
S.  C.  At  Camp  Sevier  they  made  preparation  for  overseas  duty  and 
the  bunch  was  happy. 

The  48th  up  to  war  strength  was  made  part  of  the  20th  division. 
They  were  getting  ready  to  cross,  so  they  started  intensive  drilling, 
eight  hours  a  day ;  no  guard  duty  but  drill  and  hike  every  day  until 
the  first  of  October  when  the  "flu"  set  in  good  and  hard,  which  stop- 
ped all  thought  of  going  across  for  the  present.  It  kept  getting 
worse  until  the  first  of  November.  Nine  died  in  Arthur's  company, 
and  many  more  in  each  of  the  other  companies.  Although  Arthur 
did  not  have  the  "flu"  his  bunkie  died  with  it.  They  were  at  Camp 
Sevier,  Greenville,  when  the  armistice  was  signed  which  was  celebrated 
with  much  commotion.  Shops  were  raided,  ten  cent  stores  emptied, 
mules  driven  into  soda  stands  and  other  disturbances  of  like  character 
were  caused  by  the  soldiers  of  the  48th  Infantry  and  their  followers. 
The  result  was  that  197  were  put  in  the  stockade. 

On  the  first  of  December  the  boys  left  Greenville  for  Camp  Jack- 
son near  Columbia.  Greenville  and  Columbia  were  both  dry  towns, 
but  dry  in  name  only,  for  whisky  and  gin  flowed  as  freely  as  if  there 
were  no  such  law.  The  48th  were  a  bunch  of  regulars  and  the  word 
"regular"  had  preceded  them  to  Columbia,  although  140  miles  away. 

The  artillery  was  stationed  at  Camp  Jackson  and  the  boys  were 
mostly  from  the  South,  so  the  red  cord  boys  were  favored  more  than 
the  blue  cord  boys.  Woe  to  a  blue  cord  if  he  violated  the  rules  in  the 
least ;  the  result  at  one  time  was  stockade  for  Arthur  for  being  half  an 
hour  over  pass.  But  the  48th,  though  rough  and  ready,  were  also  a 
square  set  of  boys.  They  allowed  nothing  that  was  unfair  and  up 
to  the  time  the  blue  cords  had  reached  Columbia  many  business  men 
of  low  caliber  had  cheated  the  soldiers,  had  sold  them  worthless  stuff 
or  short-changed  them.  When  they  tried  this  game  on  the  blue  cords 
they  made  short  work  with  such  men,  the  result  being  that  they  were 
soon  admired  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  city,  and  when  Christmas  came 
each  blue  cord  soldier  received  an  invitation  to  dine  with  members  of 
some  private  family. 

Thus  the  months  from  the  first  of  December  to  the  first  of  July 
passed ;  the  time  was  spent  in  target  practice,  drills,  sham  battles,  and 
anything  to  keep  the  boys  in  trim.  On  the  first  of  July  Arthur,  with 
a  bunch  of  others,  received  two  days'  rations  and  sent  to  Camp  Grant 
to  be  discharged.  With  every  one  busted  and  two  days'  rations  on  a 
four  days'  trip,  created  a  little  disturbance  in  the  belt  region,  and  if  it 
had  not  been  for  the  Red  Cross  and  the  Salvation  Army  some  of  the 
eat  shops  along  the  route  might  not  have  fared  so  well.      The  Y.  M, 

113 


C.  A.  men  were  not  so  well  liked  by  a  bunch  of  hungry  boys  with  no 
money.  They  however  reached  Camp  Grant  without  a  hitch  on  the 
5th  of  July,  where  Arthur  remained  until  the  9th  when  he  was  dis- 
charged. He  reached  home  the  next  day.  He  had  been  away  from 
home  just  15  months  during  which  time  he  was  on  duty  just  15 
months,  meaning  he  had  no  furlough  while  he  was  gone. 

Following  is  his  discharge  and  enlistment  record.  Honorable 
Discharge  from  the  United  States  Army.  To  all  whom  it  may  con- 
cern: This  is  to  certify  that  Arthur  G.  Elliott,  No.  463951,  Private, 
Company  G.  48th  Infantry,  the  United  States  Army,  as  a  testimonial 
of  honest  and  faithful  service  is  hereby  honorably  discharged  from  the 
military  service  of  the  United  States  by  reason  of  convenience  of  the 
government,  demobilization  of  organization,  per  circular  106  W.  D. 
1918.  Said  Arthur  G.  Elliott  was  born  in  Bethalto  in  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois. When  enlisted  he  was  19  8-12  years  of  age  and  by  occupation  a 
laborer.  He  had  blue  eyes,  light  brown  hair,  fair  complexion,  and  5 
feet  6  inches  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp  Grant,  III, 
this  9th  day  of  July,  1919.  ]\Iilan  A.  Looseley,  IMajor  Signal  Corps, 
Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  Arthur  G.  Elliott.  Grade:  Private,  enlisted  April  9, 
1918,  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  Mo.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at 
date  of  discharge.  Prior  service  :  None.  Non-commissioned  officer : 
Never.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating:  Not  rated. 
Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes,  ex- 
peditions :  None.  Decorations,  badges :  None.  Medals,  citations : 
None.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation :  Laborer.  Wounds  received  in 
battle :  None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged :  Good.  Typhoid 
prophylaxis  completed  April  16,  1918 ;  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis  com- 
pleted April  16,  1918.  Married  or  single :  Single.  Character :  Very 
good.  Remarks  :  Entitled  to  travel  pay  to  Bethalto,  111.  No  A.  W. 
O.  L.  under  G.  O.  31,  2  D.  19.2  and  No  45  W.  D.  1914,  never.  Signa- 
ture of  soldier:  Arthur  G.  Elliott.  Camp  Grant,  111.,  July  9,  1919. 
Paid  in  full  $139.44,  including  bonus  of  $60.00  Act  of  Feb.  24,  1919. 
S.  H.  Francis,  Captain  Quartermaster  Corps.  Welln  Chell,  1st  Lieut. 
C.  A.  C.  Commanding  Demb.  Group. 


114 


WILLIAM  E.  NEUNABER 

William  E.  Neunaber,  son  of  John  C.  and  Lena  Neunaber,  was 
born  in  Fort  Russell  township  July  30,  1891,  about  two  miles  south- 
east of  Bethalto.  The  parents,  at  that  time  living  on  the  Balster 
farm,  purchased  a  farm  situated  two  miles  west  of  Bethalto  and  moved 
there  when  Will  was  about  a  year  old.  It  was  on  this  farm  Will  spent 
his  boyhood  days ;  and  while  living  on  this  farm  he  attended  the 
Bethalto  school,  thus  developing  a  sound  mental  and  moral  spirit  as 
well  as  a  perfect  physical  body.  He  completed  the  Eighth  grade  at 
the  Bethalto  school  and  after  that  he  assisted  his  parents  with  their 
farm  work.  After  he  became  of  age  he  helped  others  with  their 
farm  work  besides  his  parents  until  the  time  came  for  him  to  join 
Uncle  Sam's  forces. 

He  registered  for  the  draft  in  June,  1917,  but  was  not  called  for 
examination  until  the  8th  of  May,  1918.  He  was  called  to  the  colors 
September  5th,  and  left  with  the  Alton  contingent  for  Camp  Custer 
in  company  with  Gene  McCracken,  George  Deist,  Roy  Locker,  and  his 
brother,  Ed.  Neunaber.  He  was  placed  in  the  36th  Infantry  of  the 
9th  battalion  at  Camp  Custer  until  October  26th.  During  this  time 
he  did  a  great  deal  of  drilling,  and  guard  duty.  He  was  then  trans- 
ferred from  the  36th  to  Fort  Wayne,  Mich.,  on  the  outskirts  of  Detroit, 
and  was  placed  in  the  4th  recruit  squadron. 

While  at  Camp  Custer,  Spanish  Influenza  broke  out  and  Will  was 
used  principally  to  take  care  of  the  sick  at  night  and  on  account  of 
such  a  great  number  having  "flu"  much  more  was  loaded  on  to  him 
than  those  who  were  lucky  enough  to  escape  the  dreaded  disease. 
Will  escaped  the  "flu"  but  not  the  extra  work  and  it  was  either  take 
care  of  the  sick,  do  guard  duty  or  fatigue  duty ;  either  meant  work  all 
the  time.  His  sergeant  at  Custer  was  a  crabbed  person,  but  the  offi- 
cers at  Fort  Wayne  were  fine  fellows.  The  object  at  the  camp  near 
Detroit  was  to  make  the  boys  fit  for  overseas  duty  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible, and  they  did  a  great  deal  of  drilling  and  guard  duty. 

Will  took  the  trade  test  about  a  week  before  the  armistice  was 
signed  and  never  found  out  whether  he  passed  or  not.  In  the  test  he 
took  chauffeur's  examination.  After  the  armistice  the  duties  were 
about  the  same  as  before  until  he  received  his  discharge.  After  the 
armistice  twenty-four  hour  passes  were  easily  obtained  and  Will  had 
many  a  chance  to  cross  the  Detroit  river  into  Canada  or  to  visit  the 
city  of  Detroit.  The  city  hall  was  but  three  miles  from  the  fort.  On 
New  Year's  day  he  received  a  five-day  furlough  which  time  he  spent 
with  parents  and  friends  at  Bethalto. 


115 


It  was  never  definitely  stated  why  the  boys  were  held  so  long,  for 
Will  did  not  receive  his  discharge  until  the  23rd  of  January,  1919. 
Orders  were  received  for  the  boys  to  leave  camp  for  the  trip  across  on 
the  15th  of  November,  but  on  account  of  the  armistice  they  did  not  go. 
Major  Campion,  commander  of  the  camp,  and  Captain  Cottel  and 
Lieut.  Burns  of  the  4th  Recruit  Squadron,  were  fine  fellows  and  are 
remembered  by  all  the  boys  who  served  under  them.  Being  dis- 
charged on  the  23rd  of  January,  Will  arrived  home  the  next  day,  Jan- 
uary 24,  1919,  once  more  a  free  and  private  citizen. 

Following  is  his  discharge  and  enlistment  record :  Honorable 
Discharge  from  the  United  States  Army.  To  all  whom  it  may  con- 
cern :  This  is  to  certify  that  William  E.  Neunaber,  No.  4723383, 
Private  4th  Recruit  Squadron,  Air  Service,  the  United  States  Army, 
as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service  is  hereby  honorably  dis- 
charged from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States  by  reason  of 
expiration  of  emergency  enlistment.  Said  William  E.  Neunaber  was 
born  in  Bethalto  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  When  enlisted  he  was  27 
years  of  age  and  by  occupation  a  farmer.  He  had  blue  eyes,  dark 
brown  hair,  ruddy  complexion,  and  was  5  feet  11  1-2  inches  in  height. 
Given  under  my  hand  at  Fort  Wayne,  Mich.,  this  23rd  day  of  January, 
1919.      Howard  L.  Campion,  Major  A.  S.  S.  C.   Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  William  E.  Neunaber,  No.  4723383.  Grade:  Private. 
Enlisted  or  inducted  September  5,  1918  at  Alton,  111.,  serving  in  first 
enlistment  period  at  date  of  discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Non- 
commissioned ofiicer :  Never.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification 
or  rating :  No  rating.  Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  en- 
gagements, skirmishes,  expeditions :  None.  Knowledge  of  any  voca- 
tion :  Drove  own  car.  Wounds  received  in  service :  None.  Physical 
condition  when  discharged :  Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed 
Sept.  19,  1918;  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis  completed  Sept.  19,  1918. 
Married  or  single :  Single.  Character :  Excellent.  Remarks  :  No 
absence  without  leave ;  no  absence  under  G.  O.  45  W.  D.  1914.  Sig- 
nature of  soldier:  William  E.  Neunaber.  Howard  L.  Campion,  Major 
A.  S.  S.  C.  Commanding. 


116 


EDWARD  J.  NEUNABER 

Edward  J.  Neunaber,  son  of  John  C.  and  Lena  Neunaber,  and 
brother  of  Will,  whose  description  precedes  this  one,  was  born  on  the 
home  farm  two  miles  west  of  Bethalto,  (Jctober  6,  1894.  He  attended 
the  Bethalto  public  school  until  he  completed  the  Eighth  grade  work. 
He  continued  to  assist  the  parents  with  their  farm  work  until  he  was 
called  to  the  colors  September  5,  1918. 

He  registered  in  June,  1917,  but  did  not  leave  for  Camp  Custer 
from  Alton  until  September  5,  1918.  At  Camp  Custer,  Battle  Creek, 
Mich.,  Ed.  was  placed  in  the  36th  Co.  9th  Battalion,  160  Depot 
Brigade.  He  was  in  the  36th  Company  about  two  months  but  would 
have  been  transferred  before  had  it  not  been  for  the  Spanish  Influenza 
having  broken  out  in  camp  shortly  after  Ed.  arrived.  His  brother 
Will  was  transferred  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  but  Ed.  had  the  "flu"  about 
a  month  during  which  time  Will  had  left.  In  this  way  brothers, 
friends  or  relatives  often  parted,  some  to  travel  one  direction  and  some 
another.  While  still  in  the  Depot  Brigade  Ed.  was  transferred  first  to 
the  6th,  then  to  the  8th  Company.  On  November  5th  he  was  placed 
in  Co.  F.  10th  Infantry.  After  he  left  the  Depot  Brigade  he  went  to 
cooks'  and  bakers'  school,  a  place  where  he  received  instructions  in 
cooking,  baking  and  preparing  meals  for  the  soldiers.  He  held  this 
position  for  a  long  time ;  for  soon  after  the  armistice  was  signed  the 
soldiers  were  returning  to  Camp  Custer  to  receive  their  discharge. 
Thus  the  days  and  months  rolled  by ;  every  day  saw  a  new  bunch  of 
boys  to  be  discharged,  and  immediately  leaving  for  home. 

On  New  Year's  day  he  came  home  on  a  furlough  and  upon  his 
return  he  did  the  same  kind  of  work.  He  continued  with  this  until 
June,  1919,  when  he  started  to  do  guard  duty,  rifle  practice,  etc.,  for 
about  five  weeks.  He  was  on  the  rifle  range,  but  it  was  not  the  sea- 
son to  qualify  in  shooting,  and  little  did  the  boys  care ;  it  was  upper- 
most in  their  minds  to  be  discharged. 

Ed.  had  made  all  preparation  to  go  overseas,  he  was  ready  to  join 
the  14th  Division  that  was  soon  to  sail  to  take  an  active  part  in  the 
battle  zone,  and  but  for  that  dreadful  disease  the  division  probably 
would  have  seen  active  service.  It  finally  came  to  Ed.'s  turn  to  be 
discharged  and  he  was  sent  to  Camp  Grant,  111.,  where  he  received  his 
honorable  discharge  on  the  29th  day  of  July,  1919, 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Edward  J. 
Neunaber,  4723662,  Private  Company  F.  10th  Infantry,  the  United 
States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby 

117 


honorably  discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States 
by  reason  of  authorized  circular  77,  War  Department,  Nov.  21,  1918. 
Said  Edward  J.  Neunaber  was  born  in  Bethalto  in  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois. When  enlisted  he  was  23  years  of  age  and  by  occupation  a 
farmer.  He  had  blue  eyes,  dark  brown  hair,  ruddy  complexion,  and 
was  5  feet  9  1-2  inches  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp 
Grant,  Illinois,  this  29th  day  of  July,  1919.  Harry  B.  Goodison,  Maj. 
Inf.  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  Edward  J.  Neunaber,  4723662.  Grade:  Private.  In- 
ducted September  5,  1918,  at  Alton,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment 
period  at  date  of  discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Non-commissioned 
officer :  Never.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating :  Un- 
qualified, 1919.  Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements, 
skirmishes,  expeditions:  None.  No  medals,  no  decorations.  Knowl- 
edge of  any  vocation  :  Farmer.  Wounds  received  in  service :  None. 
Physical  condition  when  discharged:  Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis 
completed  Sept.  19,  1918.  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis  completed  Sept. 
19,  1918.  Married  or  single:  Single.  Character:  Excellent.  Re- 
marks :  Service  honest  and  faithful.  No  A.  W.  O.  L.,  No  G.  O.  31 
1912,  No  G.  O.  45,  1914.  Soldier  is  entitled  to  travel  allowance  to 
Alton,  111.  Sept.  5,  1918,  to  Oct.  24,  1918,  Div.  Military  Aeronautics, 
Ft.  Wayne,  Mich.  Oct.  25,  1918,  Nov.  4,  1918,  8th  Co.,  2nd  Bn,  160 
Dept.  Brg.  Nov.  5,  1918,  to  June  10,  1919,  Co.  F.  10th  Inf.  since  June 
11,  1919.  Signature  of  soldier:  Edward  J.  Neunaber.  Virgil  V. 
Jones,  1st  Lieut.  Inf.  Demob.  Group,  Commanding.  Camp  Grant,  111., 
July  29,  1919.  Paid  in  full  1103.40,  including  bonus  of  $60.00,  Act  of 
Feb.  24,  1919.      P.  G.  Hoyt,  Maj.  Q.  M.  C. 


LIMON  NEUNABER 

Limon  Neunaber,  son  of  Michael  and  Mathilda  Neunaber,  was 
born  in  Fort  Russell  township  July  25,  1895.  His  home  is  about  a 
mile  south  of  Bethalto  and  the  farm  where  he  was  born  and  raised  is 
in  the  Bethalto  school  district  and  he  therefore  attended  the  Bethalto 
schools,  receiving  a  good  German  as  well  as  an  English  education. 
The  parents  both  of  German  descent,  were  always  in  favor  of  giving 
their  children  as  good  an  education  as  possible.  The  father  was 
born  in  Germany,  and  was  brought  to  America  when  he  was  quite 
young  and  the  mother  was  born  in  Madison  county  near  Edwards- 

118 


ville.  Limon  remained  with  his  parents  on  the  farm  and  on  account 
of  the  death  of  his  father  he  had  to  assume  a  great  part  of  the  duties 
that  pertain  to  the  managing  of  a  large  farm,  so  we  find  him  working 
on  the  farm  when  he  registered  for  the  draft  in  June,  1917.  He  was, 
however,  not  called  until  June  24,  1918,  when  he  was  sent  to  Camp 
Taylor,  Ky.,  from  Edwardsville  with  a  number  of  his  friends  and  rela- 
tives. 

At  Camp  Taylor  he  was  put  in  the  159th  Depot  Brigade  and  later 
transferred  to  Co.  E.  156th  regiment,  doing  about  three  weeks'  drill- 
ing and  hiking.  After  that  he  was  sent  to  Camp  Beauregard, 
Louisiana,  about  sixty  miles  north  of  New  Orleans,  the  company  hav- 
ing its  headquarters  at  Baton  Rouge  and  became  known  as  the  Old 
National  Guard  regiment.  The  company  remained  at  Camp  Beaure- 
gard but  a  month,  and  during  this  time  the  boys  received  the  only  real 
training  that  was  to  be  given  in  preparation  for  duties  overseas.  Here 
they  had  rifle  practice,  bayonet  drills,  and  gas  drills  and  such  other 
exercises  as  could  be  taught  in  this  short  space  of  time. 

The  Company  left  camp  on  the  10th  of  August  for  Camp  Mills, 
an  embarkation  camp  for  overseas  soldiers.  They  remained  at  Camp 
Mills  about  eight  days,  receiving  their  equipment  for  overseas  service  ; 
they  should  have  sailed  sooner  but  the  shortage  of  clothing  delayed 
them  several  days,  although  the  ship  lay  ready  and  waiting  for  the 
boys.  They  went  on  board  on  the  22nd  of  August.  The  ship  was 
the  President  Grant,  that  had  been  fitted  out  as  a  transport,  for  it  had 
formerly  been  a  large  freighter.  The  President  Grant  was  about  800 
feet  long  and  60  feet  wide,  and  carried  4,500  soldiers.  She  headed 
straight  for  Brest,  France,  reaching  that  place  on  the  1st  of  September. 

After  landing  they  were  marched  for  six  miles  out  into  the  coun- 
try passing  the  Old  Napoleon  Barracks;  they  pitched  their  "pup" 
tents  on  the  hill  sides  for  the  camp  had  not  been  enlarged  enough  to 
accommodate  so  many  soldiers.  They  received  their  supplies  from 
the  old  barracks  which  was  called  Camp  Pontenesen.  The  155th  and 
the  156th  regiments  of  infantry,  machine  gun  battalion  and  artillery 
were  at  this  camp  but  six  days  and  then  went  farther  inland  to  a  place 
called  Saint  Florent.  They  rode  two  days  and  three  nights  in  these  side 
door  Pullmans.  These  cars  were  large  enough  to  hold  either  eight 
horses  or  40  men  and  although  they  were  only  small  cattle  cars  they 
crowded  nearly  40  soldiers  into  each  car. 

The  only  advantage  these  boys  had  over  many  others  was  that 
they  were  rationed  by  the  American  government,  for  the  American 
food  was  fit  to  eat,  both  on  sea  and  on  land,  and  cleanliness  marked  the 
places  where  you  could  see  American  soldiers  eating  American  food. 

119 


The  food  at  this  time  consisted  of  hard  tack,  corned  beef,  tomatoes, 
and  a  little  jam  to  whoever  was  lucky  enough  to  get  at  it.  The  trip 
in  the  cars  was  not  as  pleasant  as  the  soldiers  would  have  it ;  a  distance 
of  280  miles  was  quite  fatiguing  on  such  a  large  bunch  of  boys.  As 
soon  as  they  got  off  at  St.  Florent  they  hiked  24  miles  to  a  small 
village  called  La  Salle  Conda ;  this  little  inland  town  was  soon  filled 
with  soldiers.  The  officers  got  the  best  housing,  the  horses  and  mules 
got  next  best,  and  the  soldiers  got  what  was  left  in  the  form  of  barns 
and  sheds.      Limon  got  one  of  these  third  class  billets. 

At  La  Salle  Conda  they  were  once  more  put  to  the  test ;  they  were 
given  gas  drills,  bayonet  drills  with  gas  masks  on,  and  any  other  drills 
that  was  intensive.  These  warm  and  rainy  September  days  were  not 
very  healthy  and  Limon  contracted  double  pneumonia,  which  kept  him 
indoors  quite  a  while.  On  account  of  his  sickness  Limon  had  to  part 
with  his  friends  for  they  left  him  to  go  farther  east  to  the  lines  of 
trenches.  However,  Limon  soon  got  strong  enough  to  follow  and  he 
left  La  Salle  Conda  on  the  28th  of  October,  having  been  at  the  place 
about  six  weeks. 

About  30  having  left  Edwardsville  together,  having  gone  to  Camp 
Taylor,  Camp  Beauregard,  Camp  Mills  and  the  rest  of  the  places  to- 
gether, made  it  pleasant  for  them,  and  when  117  out  of  118  boys  were 
picked  out  and  him  the  only  one  out  of  the  original  30  left  behind, 
brought  a  depressed  spirit  in  Limon,  yet  when  he  had  a  chance  to  go 
forward  he  felt  better  for  he  hoped  to  see  them  again  soon.  On  the 
28th  of  October  he  was  transferred  to  a  replacement  battalion  and 
was  sent  to  St.  Florent  and  from  St.  Florent  to  St.  Aignan,  remaining 
there  a  few  days  when  he  was  sent  to  the  Verdun  Sector  to  join  the 
32nd  Division,  to  help  fill  up  the  gaps  that  had  been  made  in  the 
division  on  the  Verdun  front. 

Coming  nearer  and  nearer  he  could  hear  the  firing  in  the  daytime 
and  see  the  flashes  at  night.  He  traveled  on  and  on  until  he  reached 
a  town  called  Commissary,  a  small  place  near  the  Verdun  front.  He 
remained  there  but  three  days,  for  during  one  of  these  days  the  arm- 
istice was  signed  and  he  went  no  farther ;  although  he  had  passed  many 
lines  of  trenches,  had  seen  much  misery  and  had  heard  and  seen  the 
firing  from  a  short  distance ;  when  all  at  once  quiet  prevailed  the  feel- 
ing can  hardly  be  described.  Now  it  was  all  over,  Limon  had  almost 
reached  his  brother  soldiers  who  had  gone  before  him,  and  had  also 
gone  to  the  32nd  division.  The  quietude  became  intense,  but  Limon 
had  to  bear  very  little  of  it,  for  he  was  again  moved  but  not  forward, 
for  no  more  had  firing  ceased  than  a  retrograde  movement  was  be- 
gan, and  he  was  almost  the  first  to  start  west. 

120 


He  was  sent  back  through  St.  Aignan  to  a  place  called  Contres,  a 
distance  of  12  miles,  hiking  the  entire  distance  from  St.  Aignan.  They 
remained  at  Contres  but  one  night  in  pup  tents  when  100  of  the  bunch 
of  which  Limon  was  one  were  called  out  and  transferred  to  the  162nd 
Regiment  of  the  42nd  or  Sunset  Division.  They  were  stationed  2  1-2 
miles  from  Contres  where  K  and  M  companies  were  stationed,  one- 
half  of  the  100  joined  K  company,  the  other  half  joined  M  company, 
Limon  went  with  K  company. 

They  remained  there  till  the  29th  of  January  doing  guard  duty, 
drilling  and  such  work  that  would  keep  the  boys  in  trim  to  make  the 
trip  homeward  when  it  came  time  for  them  to  go.  Limon  met  very 
few  "flu"  patients.  At  La  Salle  Conda  there  were  only  96  sick  and  at 
Contres  the  patients  were  at  once  separated  from  the  others  and  trans- 
ferred to  a  base  hospital  and  nothing  could  be  found  out  about  the 
welfare  of  the  boys.  Limon  was  among  strangers,  for  his  bunch  had 
left  him  about  the  1st  of  October,  and  they  were  still  farther  east  and 
he  knew  very  little  about  them  and  could  find  out  less. 

On  the  29th  of  January,  1919,  came  the  welcome  order  to  hike 
back  to  St.  Aignan  and  board  a  side  door  Pullman  for  Brest,  their 
starting  point.  They  remained  at  Brest  nine  days  and  during  this 
time  he  had  a  good  chance  to  see  the  condition  of  the  camp.  The 
camp  at  Brest  was  in  an  awful  condition — mud,  mud,  mud.  He  had 
heard  a  great  deal  about  its  condition,  yet  no  pen  could  overdraw  it. 
While  he  was  there  they  were  building  a  fine  rock  road,  for  President 
Wilson  and  General  Pershing  were  going  to  give  the  boys  a  "once 
over"  and  in  order  to  show  that  the  Brest  scandal  was  overdrawn  the 
boys  worked  hard  to  build  this  rock  road  so  that  the  appearance  would 
not  be  so  bad.  Limon  helped  on  this  rock  road  and  when  President 
Wilson  and  General  Pershing  did  appear  he,  among  others,  were  lined 
up  along  the  beautiful  dry  road  and  were  given  a  "once  over" 
by  the  heads  of  our  army.  It  was  a  clear  case  of  deceit,  for  back 
of  this  two  mile  road  was  mud  and  more  mud. 

Thus  the  nine  days  finally  ended  and  they  embarked  on  the  8th 
of  February  to  sail  for  Home,  Sweet  Home.  Limon  left  on  the  same 
boat  that  had  taken  him  across ;  but  this  time  more  cheerful ;  the  first 
time  on  the  President  Grant  for  somewhere  in  France,  probably  never 
to  return,  now  on  the  President  Grant  to  return  to  the  Good  Old 
U.  S.,  a  place  more  than  ever  before  loved  on  account  of  the  knowledge 
of  the  difference  between  the  old  world  and  the  new.  On  account  of 
the  rough  seas  the  ship  was  18  days  in  crossing.  She  also  had  to 
assist  a  ship  in  distress.  The  distressed  ship  had  thrown  everything 
overboard  and  it  was  necessary  to  have  her  rudder  repaired;  after 

121 


which  both  ships  proceeded  to  their  ports.  The  President  Grant 
reached  the  end  of  her  journey  on  the  26th  of  February.  The  sea, 
although  rough,  caused  Httle  seasickness,  for  the  boat  being  a  large 
one  could  plow  through  the  waves  without  much  rolling  and  tossing. 

After  landing  at  Hoboken  they  were  sent  to  Camp  Dix,  N.  J. 
They  remained  at  Camp  Dix  ten  days.  The  camp  being  about  25 
miles  from  New  York  and  14  miles  from  Trenton  Limon  had  no 
chance  to  visit  either  of  the  cities,  besides  the  weather  was  rough  and 
cold  so  the  boys  remained  indoors  until  time  to  leave.  All  the  Illinois 
men  were  transferred  to  Camp  Grant,  to  which  place  they  were  sent, 
and  after  remaining  there  ten  days  Limon  received  his  honorable  dis- 
charge which  read  as  follows : 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Limon  Neu- 
naber,  3104721,  Private  1st  class  Infantry  unassigned  (Co.  E.  156th 
Inf.,)  the  United  States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful 
service  is  hereby  honorably  discharged  from  the  military  service  of 
the  United  States  by  reason  of  convenience  of  government,  March  12, 
1919.  Per  Par.  40  S.  O.  No.  71  per  Hq.  Camp  Grant,  111.  Said 
Limon  Neunaber  was  born  in  Fort  Russell,  in  the  State  of  Illinois. 
When  enlisted  he  was  22  11-12  years  of  age  and  by  occupation  a 
farmer.  He  had  blue  eyes,  light  hair,  medium  complexion  and  was 
6  feet  2  inches  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp  Grant, 
Illinois,  this  18th  day  of  March,  1919.  Clinton  Rush,  Major  Inf. 
U.  S.  A.  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  Limon  Neunaber.  Grade:  Private  1st  class.  Inducted 
June  24,  1918,  at  Edwardsville,  111.  Serving  in  first  enlistment  period 
at  date  of  discharge.  Prior  service  :  None.  Non-commissioned  offi- 
cer: Private  1st  class.,  January  1,  1919.  Marksmanship,  gunner 
qualification  or  rating :  Not  qualified.  Horsemanship  :  Not  mounted. 
Battles,  skirmishes,  expeditions:  American  Ex.  Forces  from  Aug. 
22,  1918,  to  Feb.  26,  1919.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation:  General 
farmer.  Wounds  received  in  service:  None.  Physical  condition 
when  discharged:  Very  good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed 
July  13,  1918,  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis  completed  July  13,  1918. 
Married  or  single  :  Single.  Character :  Excellent.  Remarks :  No 
A.  W.  O.  L.  No  absence  under  G.  O.  31-12—45-12 ;  entitled  to  one 
gold  chevron.  Signature  of  soldier :  Limon  Neunaber.  Paul  Weil- 
and,  Capt.  F.  A.  U.  S.  A.  Commanding  12th,  161st  D.  B.  March  18, 

122 


1919,  Camp  Grant,  111.  Paid  in  full  $125.57,  including  bonus  of  $60.00, 
Act  of  Feb.  24,  1919.  Alex.  C.  McKelvey,  Capt.  Q.  M.  C,  H.  A.  New- 
comb,  1st  Lieut.  Q.  M.  Corps. 


CHARLES  NEUNABER. 

Charles  Neunaber  was  born  in  Fort  Russell  township,  two  miles 
southeast  of  Bethalto,  January  1,  1896.  The  parents  were  born  in  Ger- 
many and  came  to  this  country  when  they  were  young.  The  family 
moved  to  a  farm  one  mile  west  of  Bethalto  when  Charley  was  but  a 
boy,  and  on  account  of  the  change  in  location  putting  them  in  the 
Bethalto  school  district,  Charley  received  his  education  at  the  Bethalto 
school,  completing  the  Eighth  grade.  His  father  died  when  Charley 
was  20  years  old,  and  he  had  to  assist  the  family  with  their  farm 
work  during  the  seven  years'  illness  of  his  father.  They  retired  from 
the  farm  when  Charley  was  18  years  old,  and  he  remained  home  help- 
ing take  care  of  his  father,  besides  when  possible  he  worked  on  neigh- 
boring farms  until  June,  1917,  when  he  registered  for  the  service,  be- 
ing then  but  21  years  of  age. 

He  was  one  of  the  first  from  this  section  to  be  called,  and  October 
3  saw  him  on  the  way  from  Fort  Russell  township  to  Edwardsville, 
from  which  place  these  boys  left  for  Camp  Taylor  October  4,  1917. 
Camp  Taylor  was  at  that  time  a  new  camp,  and  was  being  used  to  form 
the  84th  Division  of  which  Charley  became  a  part.  The  division  was 
formed  in  September,  1917.  He  was  placed  in  Co.  A  333rd  Infantry. 
This  company  was  composed  entirely  of  Madison  and  Saline  county 
boys.  Those  who  left  with  Charley  from  here  were  Will  Dettmers, 
Dick  Balster  and  Fred  Sanders.  Their  descriptions  are  found  in  this 
book  and  their  varied  experiences  told  to  show  the  different  directions 
each  traveled. 

On  March  28th  Charley  was  taken  to  Base  Hospital  to  have  his 
tonsils  removed  and  during  his  two  weeks'  stay  in  the  hospital  all  of 
his  company  with  the  exception  of  25  men  was  transferred  to  the  33rd 
Division.  The  333rd  Infantry  band  was  being  organized  three  weeks 
after  Charley  reached  camp.  He  was  attached  to  this  band  as  a 
special  detailed  member,  although  still  holding  rank  as  private  in  Co. 
A.  He  played  second  alto  in  this  band  for  a  while,  traveling  through 
different  parts  of  Kentucky  and  playing  in  the  towns  where  they  had 
either  Liberty  Loan  or  Red  Cross  drives.  He  played  in  the  band  until 
the  8th  of  May  when  he  was  appointed  bugler  of  Co.  A  by  the  captain. 
He  did  not  like  this  job  on  account  of  his  restless  disposition,    and 

123 


after  five  weeks  of  this  kind    of  work  he  was    relieved    and    made 
Corporal  in  Co.  A,  thus  increasing  his  pay  from  $30  to  $36  per  month. 

On  June  8th,  1918,  he  left  Camp  Taylor  and  went  to  Camp  Sher- 
man, Ohio.  During  June  and  July  the  company  was  again  filled  to 
war  strength  and  Charley's  duties  as  Corporal  increased,  for  new  re- 
cruits meant  more  work  for  the  corporals;  and  besides  drilling  the 
Corporal  Herring,  of  Worden,  having  been  made  Sergeant,  made 
new-comers  he  attended  bayonet  school  in  order  to  become  more 
efficient  in  the  art.  Will  Dettmers  having  been  made  supply  sergeant 
Charley  assisted  him  in  equipping  the  men.  Thus  the  time  drifted  on. 
Corporal  Herring,  of  Worden,  having  been  made  Sergeant,  made 
Charley  Ranking  Corporal  of  the  company,  and  he  held  this  position 
as  long  as  he  remained  in  the  84th  Division. 

On  August  22  the  company  left  Camp  Sherman  for  Camp  Mills, 
Charley  riding  on  the  13th  train  that  had  13  coaches.  They  arrived 
at  Camp  Mills  on  Friday  the  23rd  of  August.  While  at  Camp  Mills 
he  had  one  24-hour  pass  during  which  time  he  took  advantage  of  see- 
ing New  York,  all  that  could  be  seen  from  the  top  of  the  Woolworth 
building  down  to  the  shores  of  Coney  Island.  On  August  31st  the 
company  left  Camp  Mills  for  Hoboken,  N.  J.,  taking  a  train  to  Brook- 
lyn and  a  ferry  to  the  pier  where  the  large  steamer  Baltic  lay  waiting. 
They  remained  at  dock  until  the  morning  of  September  1st  when  they 
sailed  into  the  harbor,  starting  on  their  journey  across. 

The  convoy  of  13  troop  ships,  including  a  torpedo  boat  and  the 
battleship  Montana,  passed  out  of  sight  at  6  -.30  p.  m.  They  were  on 
the  boat  13  days,  landing  at  Liverpool  on  the  13th  of  September. 
The  weather  was  calm  and  beautiful,  the  sea  was  smooth  nearly  the 
whole  distance  and  Charley  did  not  become  seasick  although  many 
remained  in  their  bunks  the  greater  part  of  the  time.  While  on  the 
boat  he  was  corporal  of  the  guard  three  days  having  29  men  under 
him.  Two  days  before  they  landed  the  convoy  was  met  by  12  tor- 
pedo boats  and  one  sub-chaser  making  13  protectors  from  submarine 
danger.  The  battleship  Montana  fired  many  shots  but  he  did  not  find 
out  whether  submarines  were  hit  or  not.  Landing  at  Liverpool  they 
were  met  by  the  British  band  who  played  "Hail !  Hail !  the  Gang's  All 
Here."  They  were  at  once  put  into  the  English  side  entrance  com- 
partment coaches,  and  were  sent  to  a  rest  camp  at  Southampton  in 
the  southern  part  of  England,  where  they  remained  but  a  night  and 
a  day.  They  embarked  on  an  American  ship  making  her  13th  trip 
across  the  channel.  They  landed  at  La  Havre  on  the  morning  of  the 
15th  and  hiked  six  miles  up  the  bluffs  to  Camp  No.  1.  This  bluff  is 
well  remembered  by  all  the  boys  who  made  the  trip.  Charley  was 
one  of  13  men  put  in  a  tent  ordinarily  used  for  six  men.      Each  soldier 

124 


has  his  own  idea  about  these  accommodations,  and  therefore  there 
will  be  no  remarks  made  here.  They  remained  at  this  camp  until  the 
afternoon  of  the  16th  when  they  were  marched  to  the  docks  at  La- 
Havre,  where  they  got  on  a  train  the  description  of  which  may  be 
found  elsewhere  in  this  book ;  but  the  description  on  the  outside  of 
the  cars  made  it  clear  that  40  men  must  stand  where  eight  horses  had 
formerly  stood,  and  the  only  error  they  made  was  that  they  did  not 
clean  the  car  up  a  bit  before  they  took  this  ride. 

They  traveled  on  and  on  through  France  passing  through  Paris, 
Portiers,  Tours  and  Bourges,  and  seeing  the  best  farm  land  of  France, 
and  although  old-fashioned  machinery  some  used  as  many  as  four 
horses  in  front  of  a  plow,  not  abreast,  but  single  file,  and  they  looked 
from  a  distance  like  a  string  of  ducks  wading  through  the  mud.  After 
riding  a  day  and  a  night  they  came  to  a  town  called  St.  Austier  where 
they  got  off  and  hiked  to  the  town  of  St.  Aquilan,  about  60  miles  from 
Bordeaux.  While  on  this  six-mile  hike  Charley,  much  fatigued  and 
thirsty,  asked  a  kind  old  lady  for  a  glass  of  water  and  she  instead  of 
water  gave  him  a  big  glass  of  wine  which  reduced  the  weight  of  his 
74-pound  pack  to  about  two  ounces.  This  was  the  first  never-to-be-for- 
gotten glass  of  wine  he  received  in  France.  This  section  of  the  coun- 
try was  covered  with  vineyards.  St.  Aquilan  was  a  town  of  some 
twenty  houses  six  miles  from  a  railroad  station.  This  company  was 
the  only  one  that  had  ever  been  in  this  town,  and  no  preparation  had 
been  made  for  them  so  they  had  to  put  up  wherever  there  was  shed 
room. 

While  at  this  place  the  company  drilled  every  day.  On  October 
2  Maj.  Gen.  Hale  made  a  speech  to  the  first  battalion  of  the  333rd  in- 
fantry, saying  they  would  go  to  the  lines  after  October  16th  as  a  fight- 
ing unit.  On  the  5th  orders  came  from  Divisional  Headquarters  to 
make  replacements  of  all  but  9  sergeants,  7  corporals,  1  cook,  1 
mechanic,  1  bugler,  and  6  privates  of  each  company.  The  balance, 
including  Charley  were  transferred  on  October  7,  and  left  the  camp ; 
those  transferred  also  included  John  De  Fries,  of  Dorsey,  Hilbert 
Brockmeyer  of  Edwardsville,  and  Will  Dettmers.  They  marched 
back  to  St.  Austier  fully  equipped,  for  they  received  their  full  equip- 
ment at  St.  Aquilan.  Their  equipment  now  consisted  of  a  74-pound 
pack,  gas  mask,  helmet,  rifle  and  100  rounds  of  ammunition.  They 
got  on  the  train  at  St.  Austier  on  the  7th  of  October,  receiving  six 
days'  rations,  which  consisted  of  corn  beef  and  hard  tack.  They  were 
at  first  transferred  to  the  91st  division.  They  went  through  St.  Aig- 
nan  to  a  camp  where  they  changed  to  the  35th  division.  The  35th 
division  had  lost  heavily  and  the  gaps  must  be  filled  up.  They  went 
back  to  St.  Aignan  remaining  there  but  two  hours,  just  long  enough  to 

125 


eat  one  good  meal  and  have  their  gas  masks  tested.  They  left  St. 
Aignan  on  the  train  and  landed  at  Aivers  at  2  a.  m.  on  the  12th  of 
October. 

They  were  by  this  time  near  the  Argonne,  and  while  they  got  ofif 
the  train  they  could  see  the  flashes  of  the  cannon  and  could  hear  the 
guns  in  the  distance.  They  hiked  12  miles  to  join  the  35th  division 
near  Recourt.  By  this  time  guns  could  be  heard  all  day  long,  for 
they  were  nearing  the  lines.  It  was  during  this  time  that  his  friend, 
pal,  and  relative  was  killed.  They  pitched  their  "pup"  tents  along 
the  hillside  in  the  mud  and  rain.  During  this  time  Charley  was  still 
corporal  of  his  company.  The  next  morning  he  was  assigned  to  the 
138th  regiment,  which  was  composed  of  St.  Louis  National  Guards. 
The  138th  band  boys  having  been  in  the  thick  of  the  fight  and  lost 
heavily,  they  needed  musicians,  and  Charley  was  relieved  as  corporal 
and  was  made  a  third-class  musician,  increasing  his  pay  to  $40.80  a 
month.  This  was  the  morning  of  the  13th  of  October,  just  one  month 
after  he  landed  in  England. 

That  evening  they  left  for  the  trenches  near  Verdun,  passing 
through  many  small  towns  on  their  way.  Every  town  had  been  shelled 
and  some  were  still  being  shelled  as  they  passed  through ;  it  was  a 
desolate  sight,  very  few  civilians  could  be  seen.  The  regiment  en- 
tered the  front  line  trenches  on  the  night  of  October  14th  and  the  band 
was  sent  to  Somme  Dieu,  a  small  town  near  Verdun,  to  guard  an  am- 
munition dump.  They  remained  there  three  days,  and  while  there 
the  band  received  their  instruments  that  they  had  not  seen  for  more 
than  two  months,  for  the  instruments  had  been  stored  at  the  base  sup- 
plies when  the  138th  went  into  action.  When  Charley  joined  the 
138th  Will  Dettmers  joined  some  other  regiment.  After  the  band 
received  their  instruments  they  had  to  reorganize,  for  they  had  lost 
ten  of  their  members. 

On  the  evening  of  the  19th  they  left  Somme  Dieu  to  a  place  near 
Fort  Rosiliers  at  the  outskirts  of  Verdun.  They  had  barely  left  the 
place  when  the  building  in  which  Charley  stayed  was  shot  to  pieces. 
On  October  23rd  Charley  met  George  Bowman  and  Gus  Bangert,  who 
had  just  come  out  of  the  trenches  to  the  left  of  Verdun.  Gus  had 
just  got  back  from  the  hospital  after  having  been  gassed  while  at  the 
front,  and  George  had  been  in  the  trenches  on  the  Verdun  front  45 
days.  The  first  sight  of  George  was  pitiful  to  behold,  for  the  few 
clothes  he  had  on  barely  held  together ;  and  seeing  George  so  cheer- 
ful, even  under  such  circumstances,  made  this  meeting  the  happiest 
moment  in  Charley's  life.  He  gave  him  paper  so  that  he  could  write 
home  which  letter  was  received  and  most  welcome,  too,  by  the  parents, 

126 


and  which  letter  was  delivered  to  the  parents  by  the  writer  of  this 
story ;  they  had  been  anxiously  waiting  for  many  a  day.  This  letter 
sure  relieved  the  depressed  spirit  of  the  home  folks. 

On  the  25th  of  October  the  band  played  at  a  funeral  of  a  French 
officer,  the  first  funeral  march  Charley  had  ever  played.  On  the  27th 
the  band  played  in  Fort  Rosaliers,  and  while  in  this  fort  Charley  had 
the  chance  to  see  the  whole  of  the  fort,  which  had  not  been  damaged  in 
the  least,  for  it  was  underground  and  so  camouflaged  that  it  could  not 
be  found,  and  was  therefore  left  intact.  After  remaining  there  dur- 
ing the  afternoon  they  went  back  to  their  dugouts  in  the  woods,  where 
the  enemy  planes  were  ever  and  ever  searching  and  firing.  Here 
they  remained  until  the  7th  of  November,  during  which  time  they  had 
crossed  the  Meuse  River  many  times.  This  was  in  the  Somme  Dieu 
Sector  and  the  Meuse  at  this  place  was  about  75  feet  wide.  On  the 
7th  they  left  Somme  Dieu  and  hiked  12  miles  south,  reaching  the  place 
on  the  9th  of  November,  where  they  received  orders  to  enter  the 
trenches  on  the  12th  of  November  and  go  over  the  top  on  the  13th. 

They  were  stationed  at  Dagonville,  the  dirtiest,  filthiest,  and  mud- 
diest town  under  the  sun,  when  the  armistice  was  signed  and  Charley's 
hotel  was  in  the  form  of  an  old  barn,  hardly  fit  for  cattle.  While  in 
this  town  it  rained  every  day  and  while  in  this  barn  he  ate  his  Thanks- 
giving dinner  of  beans  and  corn  beef.  He  remained  in  this  town,  and 
much  of  the  time  in  this  barn,  until  the  first  of  February,  1919,  ex- 
cepting when  boys  made  tours  through  the  neighboring  villages. 

On  Christmas  day  the  138th  Headquarters  Company  drank  two 
and  one-half  barrels  of  beer,  transferring  half  of  the  138th  for  a  time 
to  the  "wig-wag"  service.  On  the  30th  the  band  left  for  the  St. 
Mihiel  sector  to  start  on  a  tour  of  concerts.  On  the  31st  the  band 
played  for  a  dance  given  for  the  officers  and  nurses.  On  January  2 
they  left  for  Sampigny,  a  place  where  2,000  German  prisoners  were 
kept.  During  January,  1919,  the  band  made  a  tour  through  Comercy, 
Enville,  Bon  Court,  Pon  der  Meuse,  Lerville,  St.  Maurice  (on  the  Ver- 
dun-Metz  line)  where  they  saw  many  German  dugouts  and  fortifica- 
tions. These  were  sights  that  only  a  soldier  can  realize  and  under- 
stand. From  there  they  went  to  Recourt,  Thillanbaux  and  Wamboy, 
where  they  joined  the  regiment  on  January  30,  at  Leroville,  a  French 
camp.  They  remained  at  this  place  until  the  8th  of  March,  when  the 
band  was  reformed,  and  the  tour  of  concerts  being  over,  Charley  was 
taken  out  of  the  band  and  reduced  to  a  private. 

On  March  8th  Charley  was  sent  to  Sulart  near  Le  Mans,  taking 
two  days'  ride  to  reach  the  place,  remaining  there  until  the  1st  of  April 
when  he  hiked  to  Camp  Levoure,  near  Champagne,  France.  At 
Champagne  he  saw  nearly  all  the  men  that  had  remained  behind  when 

127 


the  333rd  of  the  84th  division  was  skeletonized.  On  April  8th  they 
left  for  St.  Nazaire,  reaching  there  on  the  9th,  and  remained  there 
until  the  18th  of  April,  when  the  company  went  on  board  the  Aeolus, 
which  was  a  small  boat  and  could  not  hold  all  of  them,  so  Charley  had 
to  wait  for  another  ship,  the  U.  S.  S.  Kroonland,  with  part  of  the  28th 
division,  after  he  had  been  deloused  and  inspected.  The  Kroonland 
was  a  large  ship  and  although  the  weather  was  stormy  and  the  sea 
rough  she  plovv^ed  through  the  waves,  causing  little  seasickness.  While 
on  board  Charley  again  played  with  the  Naval  band,  thus  getting  the 
meals  and  comforts  of  the  crew.  While  playing  with  this  band  he 
met  Russell  Deck,  a  bass  player  in  the  naval  band.  Russell  Deck, 
having  many  friends  and  relatives  in  and  near  Bethalto,  was  happy 
to  meet  one  who  was  acquainted  with  the  Bethalto  people. 

They  landed  at  Hoboken  on  the  28th  of  April  and  were  sent  to 
Camp  Mills,  where  many  were  held  17  days  on  account  of  the  service 
records  having  been  lost.  During  his  17  days  stay  Charley  spent 
five  days  in  New  York  sight-seeing  besides  visiting  the  city  of  Jamaica, 
L.  I.,  and  other  places  of  interest  and  amusement.  After  his  service 
record  had  been  found  Charley  left  Camp  Mills  and  went  to  the  rail- 
road camps,  reaching  this  place  the  14th  day  of  May.  It  was  at  this 
place  he  met  Ed.  Schoenbaum,  who  was  on  his  way  home.  Charley 
left  the  railroad  camp  the  next  day,  reaching  Camp  Grant  on  the  17th. 
He  remained  at  Camp  Grant  until  the  20th,  when  he  was  discharged 
from  the  army,  reaching  his  home  on  the  21st  day  of  May,  after  hav- 
ing been  absent  almost  twenty  months.  Following  is  his  discharge 
and  enlistment  record : 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Charles  C. 
Neunaber,  1975914,  Private  Hq.  Co.  138th  Inf.,  the  United  States 
Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby  honor- 
ably discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States,  by  rea- 
son of  convenience  of  government,  per  Cir.  106  W.  D.  1918.  Said 
Charles  C.  Neunaber  was  born  in  Ft.  Russell  in  the  State  of  Illinois. 
When  enlisted  he  was  21  8-12  years  of  age  and  by  occupation  a  farmer. 
He  had  brown  eyes,  brown  hair,  light  complexion,  and  was  5  feet  11 
inches  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp  Grant,  111.,  this  20th 
day  of  May,  1919.  Frank  A.  Johnson,  Maj.  F.  A.,  U.  S.  A.,  Com- 
manding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  Charles  C.  Neunaber.  Grade:  Private.  Inducted: 
Oct.  3,  1917  at  Edwardsville,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at 
date  of  discharge.  Prior  service:  None.  Noncommissioned  officer: 
Corporal  July  26,  1918.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating ; 

128 


EDWARD  A.  STAHLHUT 

Co.  C,  128th  Infantry 


GOTLIEB  W.  STAHLHUT 

Corp.,  Hdqrs.  Det.,  5th  G.  R. 
Transportation  Corps 


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FRED   F.    STAHLHUT 
2nd  Rec.  Sq.,  Air  Service 


EDWARD  G.   SCHOENBAUM 

Co.  E,  128th  Infantry 


GEORGE  WALTERS 

Co.  D,  36th  Reg.  Infantry 


JOHN  J.  BALSTER 

Co.  E,  46th  Infantry 


JOHN  B.  REINKE 

Co.  E,  46th  Infantry 


REINHARD  KRUCKEBURG 

Co.  F,  Dis.  Det.  No.  2 


Not  rated.  Horsemanship:  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements, 
skirmishes,  expeditions :  Somme  Dieu,  Oct.  15  to  Nov.  7,  1918. 
Knowledge  of  any  vocation :  Farmer.  Wounds  received  in  service : 
None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged:  Good.  Typhoid 
prophylaxis  completed  November  1,  1917.  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis 
completed  November  1,  1917.  Married  or  single:  Single.  Char- 
acter: Excellent.  Signature  of  soldier:  Charles  C.  Neunaber. 
Chas.  Edwardson,  1st.  Lieut.  161  D.  B.  Commanding.  Camp  Grant, 
111.,  May  20,  1919.  Paid  in  full :  $96.65,  including  bonus  of  $60.00, 
Act  of  Feb.  24,  1919.     S.  H.  Francis. 


JOHN  J.  BALSTER. 


John  J.  Balster,  son  of  John  and  Adeline  Balster,  was  born  near 
Summerfield.  St.  Clair  County,  Sept.  19,  1894.  The  parents  moved  to 
Fort  Russell  township,  on  a  farm  southeast  of  Bethalto,  and  John 
received  his  first  education  at  the  Grove  school,  and  later  went  to 
Bethalto  public  school,  completing  the  Ninth  grade  work  at  Bethalto. 
He  remained  at  home  assisting  in  the  performance  of  the  farm  work 
till  June,  1918,  with  the  exception  of  six  months  during  which  time 
he  attended  the  Auto  school  at  Detroit,  Mich. 

He  registered  for  the  service  in  June,  1917,  and  was  called  to  the 
colors  June  1,  1918.  He  left  for  camp  in  company  with  John  Reinke, 
leaving  Edwardsville  on  the  1st  of  June  and  arriving  at  Fort  Thomas, 
Ky.,  the  next  day.  The  boys  remained  at  Fort  Thomas  but  three 
days,  and  by  the  sixth  of  June  they  were  at  Camp  Sheridan,  where 
they  were  placed  in  the  46th  Inf.  Co.  E  of  the  9th  Division.  The  46th 
Inf.  consisting  mostly  of  regulars,  and  w^as  stationed  at  Camp  Sher- 
idan, which  was  near  the  city  of  Montgomery,  Alabama. 

The  duties  consisted  of  the  usual  line  of  drilling  and  hiking  until 
John  was  placed  in  the  Divisional  Intelligence  Section,  where  he  re- 
ceived special  training  in  observation,  scouting,  signal  work,  sketch- 
ing, map  drawing ;  and  going  to  snipers'  school  and  studying  and  do- 
ing advanced  duty  for  the  infantry.  Among  the  other  duties  the  boys 
had  were  to  guard  prisoners,  which  consisted  mostly  of  soldiers  from 
the  camp ;  there  were  no  German  prisoners  at  this  camp.  This  line  of 
duty  continued  until  long  after  the  armistice  was  signed,  when  in  Jan- 
uary, 1919,  about  50  per  cent  were  discharged,  among  whom  was  John 
Reinke;  but  John  Balster  was  destined  to  remain  for  the  object  was 
to  keep  up  the  quota  and  the  volunteers  were  not  coming  in  as  fast 
as  the  men  were  discharged. 

129 


Camp  Sheridan  was  finally  abandoned,  for  it  consisted  of  tents 
only  and  as  Fort  Oglethorpe  consisted  of  both  tents  and  barracks  the 
balance  who  were  not  discharged  were  sent  to  Fort  Oglethorpe  on 
the  Chickamauga  battle  ground.  Camp  Forest  and  Camp  Greenleaf 
were  also  located  here,  but  they  were  by  this  time  merged  into  one 
and  called  Fort  Oglethorpe.  The  89th  Infantry  and  the  11th  Cavalry 
were  stationed  there. 

There  were  many  German  prisoners  stationed  there,  and  one  of 
the  principal  duties  was  guarding  prisoners,  which  meant  6  hours  out 
of  every  24  every  day  in  the  week.  On  July  1st  to  3rd  John  did  guard 
duty  at  the  prison  camp,  while  the  regular  guards  took  2,000  German 
prisoners  to  Charleston,  S.  C,  from  which  place  they  were  returned 
to  Germany.  This  left  only  about  300  German  prisoners,  mostly 
those  of  interned  German  liners  and  raiders.  For  a  while  he  did 
provost  guard  at  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  which  was  about  ten  miles  north 
of  Fort  Oglethorpe ;  however,  before  being  discharged  he  returned  to 
Fort  Oglethorpe  and  from  there  he  was  sent  to  Camp  Taylor,  where 
he  remained  two  days  before  he  was  discharged.  During  John's 
army  life  he  had  one  furlough.  He  received  this  at  Camp  Sheridan 
during  Christmas,  and  visited  home  folks  at  Bethalto  for  five  days. 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  John  J. 
Balster,  428484,  Private  first  class  unassigned,  last  assigned  to  Co.  E. 
46th  Infantry,  the  United  States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and 
faithful  service,  is  hereby  honorably  discharged  from  the  military 
service  of  the  United  States,  by  reason  of  expiration  of  term  of  service. 
Par  G.  O.  220  Hq.  C.  Z.  T.,  Ky.,  Aug.  8,  1919.  Said  John  J.  Balster 
was  born  in  Summerfield  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  When  enlisted  he 
was  23  8-12  years  of  age  and  by  occupation  a  laborer.  He  had  grey 
eyes,  light  brown  hair,  ruddy  complexion,  and  was  5  feet  8  1-2  inches 
in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp  Zachary  Taylor,  Ky.,  this 
8th  day  of  August,  1919.  Hans  Elinger.  Maj.  F.  A.,  U.  S.  A.,  Com- 
manding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  John  J.  Balster.  Grade:  Private  first  class.  Inducted 
June  1,  1918,  at  Edwardsville,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at 
date  of  discharge.  Prior  service:  Never.  Noncommissioned  officer: 
Never.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating:  Not  quali- 
fied. Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirm- 
ishes, expeditions :  None.  Citations,  decorations,  medals,  badges : 
None.     Knowledge  of  any  \  ocation :     Laborer.     Wounds  received  in 

130 


service :  None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged :  Good.  Typhoid 
prophylaxis  completed  :  June  22,  1918.  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis  com- 
pleted: June  22,  1918.  Married  or  single:  Single.  Character: 
Excellent.  Remarks  :  Last  assigned  to  Co.  E.  46th  Infantry.  Ap- 
pointed private  1st  class,  Sept.  1,  1918.  No  overseas  service.  Sig- 
nature of  soldier:  John  J.  Balster.  C.  A.  Reynolds,  Captain  Inf. 
U.  S.  A.  Commanding  Casual  Det.  Bonus  of  $60.00  paid  by  Capt.  F. 
L.  St.  Clair,  Q.  M.  C.  U.  S.  Camp  Taylor,  Ky.,  Aug.  8,  1919. 


JOHN  BENJAMIN  REINKE 

John  Benjamin  Reinke  was  born  in  Wood  River  Town- 
ship, one  mile  west  of  Bethalto,  October  18,  1894,  on  what  is 
commonly  called  the  John  Deye  farm.  They  lived  for  awhile 
on  the  Deye  farm,  and  then  moved  in  the  Grove  school  dis- 
trict where  John  received  his  first  schooling.  When  the 
parents  purchased  the  farm  from  the  Balsters  in  Fort  Russell,  John 
continued  to  go  to  the  Grove  school,  where  he  completed  the  Sixth 
grade  work.  He  worked  on  the  farm  continually  and  registered  for 
the  draft  in  June,  1917.  He  was  called  to  the  colors  June  1st,  1918, 
when  he  left  for  camp  from  Edwardsville.  Among  those  who  left 
the  same  day  was  John  Balster.  They  were  sent  to  Fort  Thomas, 
Ky.,  where  they  remained  but  a  few  days  when  they  were  sent  to  Camp 
Sheridan,  Alabama.  Before  they  were  sent  to  Camp  Sheridan  they 
received  their  uniforms.  They  reached  Camp  Sheridan  about  the 
middle  of  June,  when  the  weather  was  beginning  to  be  quite  hot. 

John  was  placed  in  Co.  E,  46th  Infantry,  9th  Division.  There 
were  about  28,000  soldiers  in  the  camp ;  the  camp  was  located  near  the 
city  of  Montgomery,  to  which  place  John  often  received  a  pass.  The 
duties  were  about  like  the  soldiers  of  other  infantries,  which  consisted 
of  drilling,  hiking,  fatigue  duty,  guarding  prisoners,  rifle  and  revolver 
practice,  gas  drills  and  any  other  duty  that  meant  preparation  for 
overseas  service.  The  officers  under  whom  John  served  were  all 
noble  fellows,  which  made  soldier  life  not  an  unpleasant  one.  They 
were:  Maj.  Gen.  Holbrook,  Captain  Morton,  Lieutenants  Slicker, 
Miller  and  Windorfen  and  Sergeant  Gay. 

They  had  tents  at  Camp  Sheridan  that  were  boarded  up  four  feet, 
had  a  wooden  floor  and  a  canvas  top.  There  was  room  for  eight  sol- 
diers, although  only  five  were  put  in  each  tent.  Food  in  camp  was 
clean  and  the  entire  camp  was  clean.  Their  bread,  meat  and  pota- 
toes were  of  the  finest  quality.  The  officers  were  well  qualified  for 
their  duty,  and  they  gave  the  boys  a  good  drilling  and  training. 

131 


There  was  very  little  sickness  in  camp  until  Spanish  Influenza 
set  in,  when  many  got  sick  and  many  died.  John  had  "flu"  only  a 
day,  and  on  account  of  his  healthy  condition  and  having  lived  a  healthy 
clean  life  his  strength  pulled  him  through  easily.  He  took  good  care 
of  himself  and  therefore  was  the  picture  of  health  when  he  returned 
home  on  the  25th  of  January,  1919,  having  received  his  honorable  dis- 
charge the  day  before. 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern:  This  is  to  certify  that  John  B. 
Reinke,  428575,  Private  first  class  infantry  unassigned  (last  assigned 
Company  E  46th  Inf.)  the  United  States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of 
honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby  honorably  discharged  from  the 
military  service  of  the  United  States,  by  reason  of  W.  D.  Cir.  106  Dec. 
3,  1918,  and  par.  1,  S.  O.  20,  Hq.  Camp  Taylor,  Jan.  20,  1919.  Termi- 
nation of  Emergency.  Said  John  B.  Reinke  was  born  in  Wood  River 
in  the  State  of  Illinois.  When  enlisted  he  was  22  years  of  age  and 
by  occupation  a  farmer.  He  had  brown  eyes,  brown  hair,  ruddy 
complexion  and  was  5  feet  9  3-4  inches  in  height.  Given  under  my 
hand  at  Camp  Zachary  Taylor,  Ky.,  this  23rd  day  of  January,  1919. 
Earl  McMannus,  Major,  Inf.  U.  S.  A.,  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name :  John  B.  Reinke.  Grade :  Private  first  class.  Inducted 
June  1,  1918,  at  Madison  County,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period 
at  date  of  discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Noncommissioned 
officer :  Never.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating :  Not 
qualified.  Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements, 
skirmishes,  expeditions  :  None.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation :  Farmer. 
Wounds  received  in  service :  None.  Physical  condition  when  dis- 
charged :  Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed :  June  22,  1918 ; 
Paratyphoid  prophylaxis  completed  June  22,  1918.  Married  or  single : 
Single.  Character :  Excellent.  Remarks  :  Service  honest  and  faith- 
ful. No  A.  W.  O.  L.  No  absence  under  G.  O.  W.  D.  31-12  or  45-14. 
Signature  of  soldier:  John  B.  Reinke.  John  F.  Houck,  Capt.  Inf. 
U.  S.  A.  Com.  Det.  R.  R.  Ticket  has  been  issued.  Travel  pay  to 
Madison  Co.,  111. 


132 


REINHARD  KRUCKEBURG 

Reinhard  Kruckeburg,  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  Krucke- 
burg,  was  born  in  Fort  Russell  township,  east  of  Bethalto,  June  2, 
1895.  He  attended  the  Liberty  Prairie  school  until  he  completed 
the  Seventh  grade  work.  He  worked  on  his  parents'  farm  until  he 
was  called  to  the  colors.  He  registered  for  the  draft  in  June,  1917, 
and  was  called  to  leave  for  the  army  September  19,  1917,  but  shortly 
before  his  going  he  was  taken  very  sick  with  typhoid  fever  and 
diphtheria.  This  left  him  in  such  a  weakened  condition  that  he  could 
not  go  at  that  time,  and  he  was  therefore  not  called  until  the  23rd  day 
of  February,  1918.  He  went  at  the  same  time  that  Albert  Kayser 
left  home.  He  went  to  Camp  Taylor  and  was  placed  in  the  159th 
Depot  Brigade  until  the  latter  part  of  April,  when  he  was  put  in  Co. 
H,  335th  regiment  of  the  84th  Division,  remaining  at  Camp  Taylor 
until  the  25th  of  June,  when  he  was  sent  to  Fort  McPherson,  Georgia, 
and  placed  in  Co.  B,  17th  Battalion  U.  S.  N.  G. 

Reinhard  was  with  Albert  Kayser  until  Easter,  when  Reinhard 
took  the  measles  and  had  to  be  quarantined,  and  when  he  got  out  Al- 
bert had  been  transferred  and  they  saw  each  other  no  niofe.  At  Fort 
McPherson  Reinhard  was  cook  until  the  15th  of  August,  when  he,  with 
a  bunch  of  boys,  was  sent  to  Wilmington,  N.  C.  a  seaport  town  where 
a  great  deal  of  war  material  and  ammunition  was  stored.  They  did 
guard  duty  at  Wilmington  and  at  the  same  time  made  preparation  for 
overseas  duty. 

When  the  best  had  been  picked  out  and  the  poorer  class  sent  to 
some  work  camp,  those  fit  would  be  sent  to  New  York,  from  which 
place  they  would  cross  the  waters,  going  the  same  path  that  millions 
had  used.  October  5th  was  set  for  the  boys  to  leave  Wilmington, 
but  when  that  day  arrived  orders  had  come  to  stop  all  movements  of 
troops.  The  reason  for  rescinding  the  order  was  that  Spanish  In- 
fluenza was  so  severe  in  camp  that  nearly  everybody  was  sick,  and  al- 
though Reinhard  never  had  it  they  died  by  the  dozen ;  they  would 
bury  them  as  fast  as  they  could,  haul  them  off  by  the  truck  load.  In 
a  nearby  town  more  than  one  half  were  down  at  the  same  time.  A 
Portuguese  ship  landed  at  Wilmington  with  several  hundred  Porto 
Ricans,  but  nearly  every  one  was  sick  with  the  "flu"  on  board,  and  they 
carried  fifty  dead  bodies  from  the  ship.  Troop  movements  had  been 
stopped  indefinitely  and  the  boys  were  still  doing  guard  duty  on  the 
11th  of  November  and  continued  to  do  the  same  until  the  10th  of  De- 
cember, when  they  left  Wilmington  and  went  to  Camp  Greene,  Charles- 
ton, N.  C.  where  they  would  remain  until  they  could  be  discharged, 
which  was  three  weeks  later.       During  his  time  at  Camp  Greene  he 

133 


sprained  his  knee  which  laid  him  up  until  he  was  sent  to  Camp  Grant 
for  discharge.  He  reached  Camp  Grant  on  the  8th  of  January,  1919, 
and  received  his  discharge  on  the  14th  of  January,  1919. 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 
To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Reinhard 
Kruckeburg,  No.  1994062,  Private  Co.  F,  Discharge  Detachment  No. 
2,  Camp  Grant,  111.,  the  United  States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest 
and  faithful  service,  is  hereby  honorably  discharged  from  the  military 
service  of  the  United  States  by  reason  of  convenience  of  government, 
per  S.  P.  10,  par.  46,  Hq.  Camp  Grant,  111.,  1-10-19.  Said  Reinhard 
Kruckeburg,  1994062,  was  born  in  Fort  Russell  in  the  State  of  Illinois. 
When  enlisted  he  was  22  8-12  years  of  age,  and  by  occupation  a 
farmer.  He  had  blue  eyes,  dark  brown  hair,  fair  complexion,  and 
was  5  feet  7  1-2  inches  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp 
Grant,  111.,  this  14th  day  of  January,  1919.  Amos  Vandergrift,  Capt. 
Inf.  U.  S.  A.  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name :  Reinhard  Kruckeburg.  Grade :  Private.  Inducted  Feb. 
23,  1918,  at  Edwardsville,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at 
date  of  discharge.  Prior  service:  None.  Noncommissioned  officer: 
Never.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating :  Not  qualified. 
Horsemanship  :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes,  ex- 
peditions :  Never.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation:  Farmer.  Wounds 
received  in  service :  None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged : 
Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed:  March  14,  1918.  Para- 
typhoid prophylaxis  completed  March  14,  1918.  Character:  Ex- 
cellent. Remarks :  No  A.  W.  O.  L.,  no  absence  under  G.  O.  31-12  or 
G.  O.  45-17,  L.  B.  No.  1.  Entitled  to  travel  pay  to  Edwardsville.  Ill, 
also  to  one  silver  chevron  for  service  in  U.  S.  from  Feb.  23,  1918,  to 
Jan.  14,  1919.  Signature  of  soldier:  Reinhard  Kruckeburg.  D.  G. 
Hare,  1st  Lieut.  Inf.  U.  S.  A.  Commanding.  Co.  F.  Disch,  Det.  No.  2. 
Paid  in  full :  $25.24.     Alx.  C.  McDihery,  Capt.  Q.  M.  C. 


134 


CHARLES  BARTELS 

Charles  Bartels,  son  of  Henry  and  Mary  Bartels,  was  born  in 
Maryville,  111.,  Jan.  28,  1894.  At  the  age  of  six  the  parents  moved 
to  the  farm  south  of  Bethalto  on  which  they  had  formerly  resided. 
He  attended  Oak  Grove  and  Brushy  Grove  schools  until  he  was  16 
years  of  age,  graduating  from  the  Eighth  grade  work  at  the  Brushy 
Grove  school.  Although  the  parents  were  both  of  German  descent, 
the  father  having  been  born  in  Germany,  they  believed  in  giving  the 
children  the  best  English  education  that  the  rural  schools  could  give. 
Charley's  father  died  in  1910.  and  Charley  had  to  help  the  mother  on 
the  farm.  He  later  worked  on  the  farm  for  others  until  he  was  21 
years  old,  when  he  went  to  Wood  River  to  work  for  the  Standard  Oil 
Company.  His  mother  died  when  he  was  22  years  old.  In  May, 
shortly  after  war  was  declared,  Charley  tried  to  enlist  in  the  Navy, 
but  was  rejected  in  St.  Louis;  he  registered  in  June,  1917,  and  re- 
solved to  wait  until  he  was  called  and  accept  what  was  given  to  him, 
whether  it  was  his  choice  or  not. 

He  was  married  to  Loretta  Wustenfeld,  of  Wood  River,  Jan.  5, 
1918.  He  was  called  to  the  colors  June  27,  1918.  He  went  as  an 
alternate  from  Alton,  and  reached  Camp  Taylor  June  28th.  He  was 
placed  in  the  Depot  Brigade,  15th  Co.,  4th  training  battalion.  He  re- 
mained in  the  15th  Co.  and  at  Camp  Taylor  during  his  entire  stay  in 
the  army,  serving  under  Capt.  McMillen  and  Lieut.  Waltons  and 
La  Gore  until  La  Gore  was  sent  to  France,  and  Lieut.  Waltons  became 
captain  of  the  16th  company,  when  Capt.  Groat  and  Lieut.  Redding, 
both  from  Indiana,  took  their  places.  Shortly  after  Charley  went 
to  Camp  Taylor  he  was  sent  to  the  hospital  suffering  from  malaria, 
caused  by  the  inoculations,  and  remained  there  two  weeks,  and  was 
made  first-class  private  upon  his  return  to  the  15th  company,  which 
was  in  the  latter  part  of  July. 

On  the  2nd  of  September  he  was  made  corporal  and  would  have 
been  made  sergeant  the  latter  part  of  September  but  an  order  was  is- 
sued by  the  War  Department  that  on  account  of  the  number  of 
sergeants  in  the  Depot  Brigade,  no  more  be  made  for  the  present. 

On  account  of  Spanish  Influenza  the  order  was  never  rescinded, 
and  Charley  was  destined  to  remain  corporal  the  rest  of  his  army  life. 
He  was  on  the  rifle  range  but  once,  and  although  making  47  out  of  50, 
slow  fire,  it  was  not  sufficient  to  receive  marksmanship,  where  it  was 
necessary  to  make  45  out  of  50  rapid  fire.  It  was  the  only  chance  he 
had  and  no  badge  was  given  to  any  one  in  the  Depot  Brigade.  As 
first  class  private  his  duties  were  Headquarters  Orderly,  as  corporal 
he  was  assistant  to  the  sergeant  and  drilled  the  recruits  the  same  as 


135 


he  received  when  he  entered  the  service.  As  private  he  received 
$30.00  a  month ;  as  first  class  private  he  received  $33.00  a  month,  and 
as  corporal  his  pay  was  $36.00  a  month. 

Spanish  Influenza  set  in  about  the  latter  part  of  September  at 
Camp  Taylor  and  there  were  still  a  number  of  cases  after  the  armistice 
was  signed.  Influenza  was  expected  at  Camp  Taylor  as  early  as 
August  for  many  at  that  time  were  taken  out  of  the  barracks  and  put 
in  tents.  Men  used  to  army  life  were  put  in  barracks.  Although  in- 
fluenza became  serious  the  conditions  were  all  in  favor  of  the  soldiers ; 
only  four  died  in  Charley's  company,  although  forty  were  sick  at  one 
time.  Weather  conditions  were  good;  care  was  excellent;  nurses 
were  skillful;  oft'icers  were  kind;  camp  was  clean  and  healthful.  It 
was  those  conditions  that  gave  the  impression  among  soldiers  that  Old 
Taylor  was  our  country's  model  camp. 

Thus  the  days  glided  by  for  Charley;  he  never  had  the  "flu;"  he 
was  studious  all  the  time,  but  his  improvement  brought  him  no  further 
along.  He  attended  school  two  weeks  for  non-commissioned  officer 
but  he  was  never  made  sergeant.  Finally  the  5th  of  December,  1918, 
arrived,  and  Charley  received  his  discharge  from  good  old  Taylor  and 
sent  to  Alton  and  home. 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Charles  H. 
Bartels,  No.  3098651,  Corporal  15th  Co.  14th  Bn.  159th  Depot  Brigade, 
the  United  States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service, 
is  hereby  honorably  discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the 
United  States,  by  reason  of  telegram  from  Adjutant  General  of  Army 
and  Par.  5,  S.  O.  336,  Hq.  Camp  Zachary  Taylor,  Ky.,  Dec.  1918. 
Said  Charles  H.  Bartels,  No.  3098651,  was  born  in  Maryville  in  the 
State  of  Illinois.  When  enlisted  he  was  24  years  of  age  and  by  occu- 
pation a  clerk.  He  had  blue  eyes,  brown  hair,  fair  complexion,  and 
was  5  feet  7  1-2  inches  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp 
Zachary  Taylor,  Ky.,  this  5th  day  of  December,  1918.  F.  C.  Braden, 
Major  Infantry,  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  Charles  H.  Bartels.  Grade:  Corporal.  Inducted 
June  28,  1918,  at  Alton,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at  date 
of  discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Noncommissioned  officer : 
Appointed  Corporal  Sept.  18,  1918.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualifi- 
cation or  rating:  Horsemanship.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation: 
Wounds  received  in  service:    None.     Physical    condition   when   dis- 

136 


charged:  Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed  Aug.  4th,  1918. 
Paratyphoid  prophlaxis  completed  Aug.  4th,  1918.  Married  or 
single:  Married.  Character:  Excellent.  Remarks — .  Signature  of 
soldier :  Charles  H.  Bartels.  Harry  R.  Groat,  Capt.  Inf.  15th  Co.  4th 
Bn.  159th  D.  B.    Due  soldier  travel  pay  to  Alton,  111.    H.  R.  G. 


GEORGE  WALTERS. 

George  Walters,  son  of  George  F.  and  Augusta  J.  Walters,  was 
born  in  Foster  Township,  December  2,  1895.  His  parents  were  both 
born,  raised,  and  educated  in  Illinois.  His  father  of  German  and  his 
mother  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  both  born  in  Illinois,  made  them 
thorough  Americans.  George  attended  the  Bockstruck  school  in 
Foster  Township  until  he  completed  the  Eighth  grade,  and  after  that 
remained  home  to  help  the  parents  on  the  farm  until  he  was  18  years 
of  age,  when  he  went  to  work  on  the  farm  near  Bethalto,  and  later 
worked  in  Alton  for  Noll  Baking  &  Ice  Cream  Co.,  but  farm  life  suited 
him  better,  and  he  once  more  went  to  work  on  the  farm  near  Bethalto. 
George's  sister,  Mrs.  Walter  Arbuthnot,  living  in  Bethalto,  practically 
made  Bethalto  his  home. 

He  registered  for  the  draft  in  June,  1917,  but  would  not  wait  to 
be  called  and  in  order  to  get  a  chance  to  go  to  France  he  enlisted  in  the 
U  S.  infantry  July  12,  1917.  He  enlisted  in  St.  Louis  and  was 
assigned  to  the  16th  Company  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  and  on  the  23rd 
of  July  he  left  for  Fort  Snelling,  Minn.,  where  he  was  transferred  to 
the  36th  Inf.  Co.  D,  under  the  command  of  Capt.  Haiddleson  and  Col. 
Palmeter.  He  remained  at  Fort  Snelling  from  July  23rd  to  May  1, 
1918.  The  36th  was  making  preparation  to  cross  the  Atlantic  for 
overseas  duty,  but  George  got  only  as  far  as  Camp  Devons,  Mass. 
This  was  in  July,  1918.  George  had  a  severe  case  of  pneumonia  and 
before  he  fully  recovered  it  was  found  advisable  to  send  him  to  Fort 
Bayard,  N.  M.,  for  fear  that  tuberculosis  may  be  contracted  after 
such  a  severe  case  of  pneumonia.  He  reached  Fort  Bayard  on  the  4th 
of  May  and  on  account  of  this  being  a  camp  for  convalescents  he  was 
not  transferred  but  remained  in  the  36th  until  he  was  discharged  from 
the  service. 

There  were  about  3,000  patients  at  Fort  Bayard,  and  George  acted 
as  cook  for  an  open  air  mess  where  about  600  patients  were  fed.  The 
patients  at  Fort  Bayard,  N.  M.,  were  mostly  those  who  were  slowly 
recovering  from  pneumonia.  They  were  sent  there  for  six  months 
for  that  purpose.  There  were  also  many  tuberculosis  patients  there, 
besides  patients  who  had  been  gassed  in  France. 

137 


Although  Fort  Bayard  was  a  healthy  place,  with  beautiful  mild 
climate,  situated  in  the  south  western  part  of  New  Mexico,  about 
seventy  miles  from  the  Arizona  line  and  about  seven  miles  from  Silver 
City,  and  the  hillsides  making  it  the  more  picturesque,  it  was  not  alto- 
gether pleasant;  for  a  place  with  3,000  patients  each  afflicted  with  the 
dreaded  disease,  or  worse  still,  with  those  gassed,  caused  one  to  come 
in  contact  with  many  who  should  have  been  isolated  from  those  not 
so  afflicted.  There  were  many  old  soldiers  there.  Many  died,  some 
old  soldiers,  some  of  those  young  soldiers  afflicted,  but  as  there  were 
new  ones  coming  in  every  day  the  camp  was  kept  at  an  even  3,000  con- 
tinually. 

The  treatment  George  received  both  at  Fort  Snelling  and  at  Fort 
Bayard  was  the  best  possible,  and  there  were  none  better  than  his  offi- 
cers, who  have  been  mentioned  before.  At  Fort  Bayard  he  had  less 
freedom  but  good  care,  and  he  was  examined  every  month,  receiving 
his  last  examination  April  9th,  1919,  after  having  been  at  Fort  Bayard 
nearly  a  year.  He  was  in  the  service  one  year  and  nine  months,  and 
although  he  did  not  get  to  do  what  he  desired,  and  although  he  had 
no  chance  to  get  into  the  fighting,  he  did  his  duty ;  he  tried  his  best ; 
he  volunteered  and  obeyed  orders,  saying,  "Here  I  am,  do  with  me 
w^hat  you  want  to;  I  have  volunteered  for  the  service  and  will  obey 
your  command ;"  but  luck  was  against  George,  the  fate  of  all  the  boys 
is  not  alike ;  George  gave  what  he  could,  he  came  home  safe  but  not 
sound.  In  ending  his  story  we  will  hope  that  he  will  recover  com- 
pletely and  be  one  among  us  as  strong  and  healthy  as  the  day  he  vol- 
unteered his  services  to  Uncle  Sam,  on  July  12th,  1917. 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

Following  is  his  discharge  and  enlistment  record :  To  all  whom 
it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  George  Walters,  a  private  of 
Company  D  of  the  36th  Regiment  of  Infantry,  as  a  testimonial  of  hon- 
est and  faithful  service,  is  hereby  honorably  discharged  from  the 
military  service  of  the  United  States,  by  reason  of  S.  C.  D.  per  letter 
A.  G.  O.  War  Department  No.  201,  dated  March  29,  1919.  Said 
George  Walters  was  born  in  Fosterburg  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  and 
when  enlisted  he  was  21  7-12  years  of  age,  and  by  occupation  a  farmer. 
He  had  blue  eyes,  dark  brown  hair,  fair  complexion,  and  was  5  feet  4 
inches  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Fort  Bayard,  New  Mexico, 
this  10th  day  of  April,  1919.  Final  statement  paid  this  date  in  full 
in  sum  of  $166.20,  which  amount  includes  the  bonus  of  $60.00,  author- 
ized by  Sec.  1406  of  the  Revenue  act  of  1918,  and  travel  pay  at  the 
rate  of  5  cents  per  mile.  Insurance  premium  collected  to  include  the 
month  of  March,  1919.  Edward  P.  Rockhill,  Lt.  Colonel  Medical 
Corps,  Commanding.    Leo  J.  Dillon,  Capt.  U.  S.  A.  Rtd.  A.  Q.  M. 

138 


ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name :  George  Walters.  Grade :  Private.  Enlisted  July  12, 
1917,  at  Jefferson  Barracks  for  emergency  years,  serving  in  first  en- 
listment period  at  date  of  discharge.  Previous  service  :  None.  Non- 
commissioned officer :  Never.  Marksmanship :  None.  Horseman- 
ship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes,  expeditions : 
None.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation :  None  of  record.  Wounds  re- 
ceived in  service :  None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged :  Poor. 
Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed  August  26,  1917.  Married  or  single: 
Single.  Character :  Very  good.  Remarks :  Identification  number, 
952986.  Services :  Honest  and  faithful.  Entitled  to  admission  to 
the  U.  S.  Army  General  Hospital,  Fort  Bayard,  New  Mexico;  as  an 
inmate  of  U.  S.  soldiers  home,  Washington,  D.  C.  Is  not  recommended 
for  reenlistment.  This  soldier  is  entitled  to  reduced  railroad  fare  rates 
from  Bayard  Station,  New  Mexico  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Per  Sub.  Per 
G.  Circular  No.  85  War  Department  dated  November  23,  1918.  Wm. 
Greene,  2nd  Lieut.  Sanitary  Corps,  Commanding  Det.  Enl.  Patients. 


FRED  F.  STAHLHUT. 


Fred  F.  Stahlhut,  son  of  Henry  H.  and  Christina  Stahlhut,  was 
born  on  the  farm  in  Fort  Russell  Township  about  four  miles  southeast 
of  Bethalto.  He  attended  the  Oak  Grove  school  until  he  completed 
the  Eighth  grade  work.  He  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  he 
was  called  to  the  colors.  He  registered  for  the  service  in  June,  1917, 
but  was  not  called  until  Sept.  5,  1918,  when  he  left  Edwardsville  for 
Camp  Custer,  Mich.  He  was  placed  in  the  Depot  Brigade,  21st  company, 
where  he  remained  until  the  26th  of  October,  when  he  was  sent  to  De- 
troit, Mich.,  having  taken  the  trade  test  at  Camp  Custer. 

September  was  the  last  big  draft  that  was  made,  and  several  from 
Bethalto  left  Alton  district  on  the  same  day,  among  whom  were  Will 
and  Ed.  Neunaber,  George  Deist,  Gene  McCracken  and  Roy  Loker,  all 
from  Bethalto  and  vicinity.  Fred's  brother  Ed.,  whose  description 
is  also  found  in  this  book,  left  for  camp  just  ten  weeks'  before  Fred ; 
and  by  the  time  Fred  reached  Camp  Custer  Ed.  was  on  his  way  into 
France.  He  had  by  that  time  left  Brest  and  was  getting  ready  for  the 
firing  line ;  which  shows  that  no  preparation  was  made  and  Fred  was 
destined  to  make  the  trip  in  as  short  a  time  as  his  brother  Ed.,  but 
on  account  of  the  dread  disease,  "flu,"  as  it  was  called  in  this  country, 
he  was  held  during  the  quarantine. 


139 


Fred  had  the  ''flu"  for  three  weeks  and  although  he  had  some  in- 
tensive drilling  the  first  part  of  his  stay  at  Camp  Custer  he  was  re- 
lieved of  much  of  this  training  when  he  passed  the  trade  test  at  Camp 
Custer  and  was  sent  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  was  employed  as 
carpenter,  building  garages  and  doing  special  duty  in  the  building  line. 
He  continued  with  this  work  until  the  armistice  was  signed,  when  his 
work  changed  somewhat,  but  a  great  deal  of  building  went  on  and  was 
still  going  on  when  he  was  discharged  from  the  army  on  the  second 
of  January,  1919. 

Fred's  army  life  had  been  about  four  months,  and  although  he 
did  not  see  any  real  fighting  he  was  a  unit  in  the  great  force  that  kept 
the  organization  together.  He  did  his  duty  as  a  soldier;  he  obeyed 
the  orders  of  his  superiors,  thus  assisting  to  accomplish  the  great 
object,  the  greatest  object  ever  obtained  in  human  history,  namely,  do- 
ing away  wath  military  servitude  without  the  consent  of  the  servant. 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

Following  is  his  discharge  and  enlistment  record :  To  all  whom 
it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Fred  F.  Stahlhut,  4723293, 
Private  2nd  Recruit  Squadron  Air  Service,  the  United  States  army, 
as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby  honorably 
discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States  by  reason  of 
expiration  of  emergency  enlistment.  Said  Fred  F.  Stahlhut  was  born 
in  Edwardsville,  111. ;  when  enlisted  he  was  28  years  of  age  and  by  oc- 
cupation a  farmer.  He  had  blue  eyes,  brown  hair,  ruddy  complexion 
and  was  5  feet  9  3-4  inches  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Ft. 
Wayne,  Mich.,  this  2nd  day  of  January,  1919.  Norman  L.  Carigan, 
Major  S.  S.  C.  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  Fred  F.  Stahlhut.  Grade:  Private.  Inducted  Sept.  5, 
1918,  at  Edwardsville,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at  date 
of  discharge.  Prior  service:  None.  Noncommissioned  officer: 
Never.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating:  No  rating. 
Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes,  ex- 
peditions :  None.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation :  Farmer.  Wounds 
received  in  service:  None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged: 
Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed  Sept.  20,  1918.  Paratyphoid 
prophylaxis  completed  Sept.  20,  1918.  Remarks  :  No  absence  without 
leave.  No  absence  under  G.  O.  W.  D.  1914.  Signature  of  soldier : 
Fred  F.  Stahlhut.  Norman  L.  Carrigan,  Major  A.  S.  S.  C,  Com- 
manding, 

14f 


GEORGE  HUMM. 

George  Humm,  son  of  John  and  Wilhelmina  Humm,  was  born  in 
Bethalto,  Feb.  16.  1885.  His  father  was  a  Civil  War  veteran  having- 
served  in  Co.  B,  29th  111.  Infantry.  His  brother  Fred  Avas  in  the 
Spanish-American  war,  serving  in  the  Philippines  two  years  in  Co.  A. 
After  completing  the  Eighth  grade  at  the  public  schools  at  Bethalto, 
George  went  to  work  for  the  Equitable  Powder  Company  at  the  age 
of  16,  working  for  this  company  and  for  the  Western  Cartridge  Com- 
pany up  to  the  time  he  joined  the  army. 

He  did  not  register  for  the  draft  in  June,  1917,  but  this  did  not 
bar  him  from  the  service,  so  he  volunteered  for  the  aviation  service  at 
Jefferson  Barracks,  December  26,  1917,  and  was  at  once  accepted.  He 
remained  at  Jefferson  Barracks  until  January  17,  1918,  when  he  was 
sent  to  Kelly  Field,  Texas,  near  San  Antonio.  At  Kelly  Field  he  re- 
ceived schooling  in  aeroplanes.  He  was  put  in  the  619th  Aero 
Squadron.  He  reached  Kelly  Field  on  the  20th  of  January,  and  re- 
mained there  two  months,  during  which  time  he  took  a  course  in 
aviation,  drilled,  hiked,  and  did  duty  pertaining  to  the  aero  service. 
On  the  20th  of  March  his  squadron  left  Kelly  Field  and  went  to  Rich- 
field Aviation  Field  near  Waco,  Texas,  where  his  training  and  school- 
ing continued  for  another  two  months,  when  on  the  21st  day  of  May 
they  were  sent  to  Detroit,  Michigan. 

The  plan  was  for  them  to  send  the  boys  overseas  where  the  air 
service  was  being  developed,  but  an  accident  marred  their  progress 
and  completely  upset  their  plans.  While  on  their  way  through 
Arkansas,  not  far  from  Texarkana,  a  supposed  German  spy  caused 
a  derailment  of  their  train  as  it  was  crossing  a  deep  ravine.  Two 
troop  trains  had  just  gone  over  the  bridge,  but  they  were  going  in  op- 
posite direction  from  which  the  aero  squadron  was  going;  as  they  in 
the  troop  trains  were  not  going  to  immediate  service  overseas  they  got 
by  unmolested,  but  when  the  trained  troops,  a  well-disciplined  bunch 
of  aviators,  came  along  it  was  the  object  of  the  enemy  to  stop  them  if 
possible  and  they  succeeded  partly. 

The  engine,  going  down,  first  turned  upside  down,  killing  the  en- 
gineer and  porter  and  injuring  the  fireman.  The  next  coach  went 
over,  going  end  down  into  a  deep  water  hole.  This  coach  contained 
the  kitchen  and  the  water  put  out  the  fire  in  the  stove ;  but  this  steam 
and  the  fall  killed  two  soldiers  and  crippled  up  the  first  lieutenant  so 
badly  that  he  was  taken  to  the  hospital  where  he  remained  a  long  time 
and  finally  had  to  be  sent  to  the  hospital  for  the  insane. 

The  second  coach  in  which  George  was  went  off  the  track,  but  did 
not  go  over  the  precipice.  They  got  out  of  the  coaches  immediately 
to  rescue  those  who  had  gone  down.  They  saved  the  life  of  their 
141 


lieutenant  by  pulling  him  out  of  the  water.  He  had  gone  down  head 
first,  and  all  that  could  be  seen  was  his  leather  leggins.  Thus  quick 
action  on  the  part  of  the  boys  saved  the  lives  of  many  a  comrade,  yet 
twenty  had  to  be  taken  back  to  a  Texarkana  hospital,  where  their  in- 
juries were  treated. 

Leaving  them  behind,  the  boys  were  sent  on  to  Detroit  where 
their  training  continued.  George's  work  at  the  Equitable  Powder  Com- 
pany and  at  the  Western  Cartridge  Company  gave  him  an  advantage ; 
he  enlisted  as  a  machinist  and  was  soon  fit  for  such  duty.  At  Detroit 
he  was  put  to  work  testing  planes.  The  De  Haviland,  a  regular  bat- 
tle plane  and  one  of  the  fastest  in  the  service,  was  the  plane  that  was 
tried  out.  They  averaged  from  eight  to  ten  machines  a  day.  The 
De  Haviland  had  the  Liberty  motor  which  proved  satisfactory  in 
every  case.  Each  machine  after  it  was  put  together  was  tested  by 
actual  flight.  It  was  then  taken  apart  and  boxed  up  and  was  sent 
across  for  service. 

Thus  the  days  went  by,  and  as  they  became  more  skillful  the 
average  machines  put  up  and  tested  increased  until  an  average  of  28 
per  day  was  reached.  They  were  putting  out  machines  at  a  terrible 
rate  and  the  speed  the  machines  reached  was  135  miles  an  hour.  When 
this  high  average  was  reached,  both  in  number  of  machines  and  their 
speed,  the  armistice  was  signed  and  work  ceased. 

After  the  armistice  was  signed  there  were  no  more  machines 
tested,  but  it  can  be  imagined  how  many  machines  were  tested,  crated 
and  sent  across  from  the  25th  of  May  until  the  11th  of  November, 
when  the  average  increased  from  6  per  day  to  28  per  day.  As  stated 
before,  it  was  not  the  object  to  keep  this  bunch  of  boys  in  this  country 
but  the  railroad  accident  caused  a  delay ;  many  of  the  principal 
mechanics  and  officers  had  been  injured  and  the  others  became  quite 
efficient  in  their  calling. 

The  Caproni,  a  large  high  power  machine,  was  just  beginning  to 
come  out.  Six  had  been  finished,  two  of  which  had  been  tested,  when 
fighting  ceased  across  the  waters,  upsetting  plans  for  many  more  of 
their  kind.  These  machines  were  manufactured  and  tested  at  the 
Fisher  Body  Aero  Works,  but  the  whole  works  came  to  a  standstill 
on  the  11th  of  November,  1918,  and  there  was  practically  nothing  to 
do  but  guard  duty  and  very  little  of  that. 

He  had  been  made  sergeant  and  his  duties  were  even  less  than  the 
others.  One  day  out  of  ten  was  his  average  until  the  25th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1919,  when  he  received  his  honorable  discharge,  just  thirteen 
months  to  a  day  from  the  time  he  enlisted. 


142 


GEORGE  E.  LUMAN 

George  E.  Luman,  son  of  George  and  Adeline  Luman,  was  born 
on  a  farm  north  of  Bethalto  April  22,  1893.  George  is  a  brother  to 
William  Luman,  whose  description  is  found  in  this  book,  and  a  grand- 
son of  Hays  Luman,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War,  and  who  after 
the  war  moved  to  Golden,  Colorado,  where  he  died. 

George  attended  various  schools  wherever  the  family  was  living. 
His  first  school  was  the  Luman  school  north  of  Bethalto  and  he  com- 
pleted his  school  years  by  finishing  the  Seventh  grade  work  at  the 
Bethalto  school.  After  the  family  moved  to  East  Alton,  George  was 
employed  at  the  Standard  Oil  Company  at  Wood  River,  and  again  re- 
ceived employment  there  after  he  returned  from  the  service.  He  reg- 
istered in  June,  1917,  but  was  not  called  until  Sept.  6,  1918. 

He  was  one  of  the  last  to  leave  for  the  army.  He  left  Alton  with 
eight  others  to  Camp  Forrest,  near  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  and  about  six 
miles  from  the  old  battle  ground  of  Chickamauga,  which  was  an  ideal 
location  for  a  camp.  George  was  the  only  Bethalto  boy  at  this  camp. 
Camp  Forrest  was  a  camp  built  for  engineers.  Pie  was  at  first  placed 
in  the  14th  Recruit  Company,  but  was  soon  transferred  to  Co.  A,  125th 
Engineers,  remaining  in  this  company  at  this  place  during  his  entire 
stay  in  the  army.  He  was  offered  the  position  as  Mess  Sergeant,  but 
accepted  that  of  Head  Cook  on  account  of  having  to  serve  but  every 
other  day  from  3  a.  m.  till  8  p.  m.  This  position  he  held  until  he  was 
discharged.  His  duties  were  overseeing  the  work  of  cooking  and 
assisting  in  preparing  the  meals,  being  under  the  instructions  of  the 
mess  sergeant. 

He  drilled  but  two  days,  never  had  a  rifle,  and  no  other  duties 
but  cook.  W'hile  "flu"  was  in  camp,  George  helped  wait  on  the  sick, 
for  in  his  company  of  318  men  87  had  "flu"  at  one  time.  Armistice 
day  was  celebrated  there  in  great  style  and  many  had  their  freedom 
taken  away  from  them  for  taking  too  much  liberty  without  authority. 
After  Thanksgiving  they  began  to  demobilize,  and  the  men  were  sent 
from  Camp  Forrest  to  the  camps  nearest  their  homes.  George  had  to 
remain  to  cook,  for  many  came  into  their  camp  to  be  discharged.  He 
was  retained  until  the  26th  of  December,  when  he  was  discharged 
there  and  he  arrived  home  on  the  28th.  Following  is  his  discharge 
and  enlistment  record : 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern.  This  is  to  certify  that  George  E. 
Luman,  3018058,  Pvt.  Co.  A,  125th  Regt.  Engineers,  the  United  States 
Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby  honor- 

143 


ably  discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States  by  rea- 
son of  demobilization  W.  D.  Circular  77.  Said  George  E.  Luman  was 
born  in  Bethalto,  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  When  enlisted  he  was 
25  5-12  years  of  age  and  by  occupation  a  crane  man.  He  had  brown 
eyes,  brown  hair,  fair  complexion,  and  was  5  feet  8  1-4  inches  in 
height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp  Forrest,  Georgia,  this  26th 
day  of  December,  1918.  John  A.  Benssee,  Major  Engineers,  U.  S.  A., 
Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 
Name :  George  E.  Luman.  Grade :  Private.  Inducted  Sept.  6, 
1918,  at  Alton,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at  date  of  dis- 
charge. Prior  service:  None.  Noncommissioned  officer:  None. 
Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating:  None.  Horseman- 
ship :  None.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes,  expeditions :  None. 
Knowledge  of  any  vocation :  Craneman.  Wounds  received  in  service : 
None.  Physical  condition  v/hen  discharged :  Persistent  Tachycardia. 
No  organic  lesion  found.  Triple  typhoid  prophylaxis  completed  Sept. 
22,  1918.  Married  or  single:  Single.  Character:  Very  good.  Re- 
marks :  Honorably  discharged,  per  S.  O.  157,  per  20  Dec.  26,  1918, 
Camp  Forrest,  Georgia.  Signature  of  soldier:  George  E.  Luman. 
John  H.  Zeither,  Capt.  Engineers  U.  S.  A.,  Commanding.  Co.  A  125th 
Engineers.  Paid  in  full,  $30.92,  at  Camp  Forrest,  Ga.,  this  26th  day 
of  Dec.  1918.  Geo.  H.  Chase,  Capt.  Q.  M.  C.  Bonus  $60.00,  paid 
April  26,  1919. 


EDWARD  A.  STAHLHUT. 

Edward  A.  Stahlhut,  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  H.  Stahlhut,  was 
born  near  Mitchell,  111.,  May  20,  1888.  The  father,  although  of  Ger- 
man descent,  was  born  in  Illinois  and  the  mother  was  born  in  Ger- 
many ;  but  both  are  thorough  Americans  and  insisted  that  their 
children  receive  a  good  education  in  the  American  schools.  The 
family  moved  from  Mitchell,  111.,  to  the  farm  in  Oak  Grove  school 
district,  in  Fort  Russell  Township,  about  five  miles  from  Bethalto. 

Ed.  received  a  good  common  school  education,  the  first  two  years 
of  which  was  under  the  direction  of  the  author  of  this  book,  who  was 
at  that  time  employed  as  instructor  by  the  directors  of  the  Oak  Grove 
school.  Ed.  graduated  from  the  Eighth  grade,  and  after  his  school 
life  he  spent  his  time  at  home  assisting  the  family  in  running  the  large 
farm  they  had  purchased  after  they  had  moved  from  Mitchell.  Ed. 
remained  home  until  three  years  ago,  when  he  managed  and  worked 
a  farm  for  himself,  and  it  was  during  this  time,  in  June,  1917,  that  he 
registered  in  Fort  Russell  Tovv^nship  for  the  draft. 

144 


On  account  of  his  agricultural  enterprise  he  was  not  called  to  the 
colors  until  June  24,  1918,  when  he  left  Edwardsville  for  Camp  Taylor 
in  company  with  Ed.  Schoenbaum,  Limon  Neunaber  and  other  Fort 
Russell  boys,  and  whose  descriptions  are  in  part  identical,  and  in  many 
instances  it  would  be  doing  injustice  to  make  any  change  in  the  de- 
scription when  they  worked  together,  doing  the  same  thing  and  travel- 
ing the  same  route  together. 

Ed.  was  placed  in  the  159th  Depot  Brigade  at  Camp  Taylor,  and 
later  transferred  to  Company  E,  156th  regiment.  While  at  Camp 
Taylor  the  boys  drilled  and  hiked  for  about  three  weeks  and  were  sent 
to  Camp  Beauregard,  Louisiana,  about  60  miles  north  of  New  Orleans, 
the  company  having  its  headquarters  at  Baton  Rouge,  and  it  became 
known  as  the  Old  National  Guard  Regiment.  The  company  remained 
at  Camp  Beauregard  but  a  month,  and  during  this  time  the  boys  re- 
ceived the  only  real  training  that  was  to  be  given  to  them  in  prep- 
aration for  duties  overseas.  Here  they  had  rifle  practice,  bayonet 
drills  and  gas  drills,  and  such  other  exercises  as  could  be  taught  in  this 
short  space  of  time.  The  company  left  camp  on  the  10th  of  August 
for  Camp  Mills,  an  embarkation  camp  for  overseas  soldiers.  Here 
they  remained  eight  days,  receiving  their  equipment  for  overseas 
duty ;  they  should  have  sailed  sooner  but  the  shortage  of  clothing  de- 
layed them  several  days,  although  the  ship  lay  ready  waiting  for  them. 

They  went  on  board  the  U.  S.  S.  President  Grant  on  the  22nd  of 
August.  The  ship  had  formerly  been  a  large  freighter,  and  was  at 
this  time  fitted  out  as  a  transport.  She  was  an  18,000  ton  ship  and 
carried  4,500  troops,  150  aeroplanes,  125  Ford  trucks,  ammunition  and 
rations  of  all  description.  She  had  a  crew  of  500,  including  the  offi- 
cers. They  were  all  Americans  and  they  ate  Ail-American  food 
which  was  of  good  quality.  She  headed  straight  for  Brest,  France, 
reaching  that  port  on  the  third  of  September. 

After  landing  they  were  marched  for  six  miles  out  into  the  coun- 
try to  Camp  Pontenesen,  passing  the  Old  Napoleon  Barracks,  which 
later  on  became  the  center  of  the  camp.  On  account  of  the  size  of 
this  camp  they  had  to  pitch  tents  to  accommodate  the  soldiers.  The 
155th  and  156th  regiments  of  infantry,  machine  gun  battalion  and 
artillery  remained  at  this  camp  but  six  days  and  then  went  farther  in- 
land to  a  place  called  St.  Florent.  They  rode  two  days  and  three 
nights  in  French  cattle  cars  that  were  large  enough  to  hold  either 
eight  horses  or  forty  men,  and  although  these  cars  were  of  such  small 
dimensions  they  crowded  forty  of  our  boys  into  each  car. 

The  one  advantage  these  companies  had  over  many  another  com- 
pany was  that  they  were  rationed  by  the  American  government;  for 
our  pure  American  food  was  fit  to  eat,  both  on  land  and  on  sea,  and 

145 


cleanliness  marked  the  jjlaces  where  you  could  see  American  soldiers 
eating  American  food.  The  food  at  this  time  consisted  of  hard  tack, 
corned  beef,  tomatoes,  and  a  little  jam  to  the  fellow  who  was  lucky 
enough  to  get  it.  This  trip  in  the  cars  was  not  very  pleasant,  as  every 
soldier  knows  who  has  had  a  ride  in  one  of  them,  and  a  distance  of 
more  than  280  miles  was  quite  fatiguing  to  the  entire  lot. 

A  soon  as  they  got  off  at  St.  Florent  they  hiked  24  miles  to  a 
small  village  called  La  Salle  Conda ;  this  little  inland  town  was  soon 
filled  with  soldiers.  The  officers,  of  course,  were  first  taken  care  of, 
their  horses  next,  and  the  soldiers  came  next.  Ed.  was  billeted  in  a 
small  barn. 

At  La  Salle  Conda  they  were  once  more  put  to  the  test ;  they 
were  given  gas  drills,  bayonet  drills,  with  gas  masks  on,  and  any  other 
kind  of  drilling  that  would  toughen  the  soldiers.  These  warm  rainy 
September  days  were  not  very  healthy  for  the  boys  and  many  con- 
tracted pneumonia,  one  of  whom  was  Liman  Neunaber,  who  on  account 
of  double  pneumonia  had  to  remain  in  camp  when  Ed.  and  the  others 
left.  They  were  at  La  Salle  Conda  from  the  15th  of  September  to  the 
21st  of  October,  when  they  left  for  the  Verdun  Front.  They  again 
left  in  the  famous  old  French  cars,  reaching  the  front  on  the  24th 
day  of  October,  making  the  distance  of  about  400  miles  in  three  days 
and  two  nights. 

Ed.  was  placed  in  Co.  C,  128th  Infantry,  32nd  Division.  After 
joining  the  division  at  Avrecourt  they  left  for  the  front  line,  crossing 
the  Meuse  River.  Avrecourt,  once  a  beautiful  city,  now  a  mass  of 
ruins,  was  used  by  the  Americans  as  a  resting  place.  Here  Ed.  rested 
up,  cleaned  up,  went  through  the  delouser  and  got  ready  for  the  next 
dash.  Avrecourt  and  vicinity  were  a  sad  sight.  The  forest  near 
was  termed  "Fly  Woods,"  the  Germans  had  left  their  dead  unburied, 
and  as  might  be  expected  flies  were  thick  there.  Avrecourt  lay  in  a 
hollow  and  the  woods  and  hills  around  it  had  formerly  been  part  of 
the  great  Hindenburg  line.  After  this  place  had  been  evacuated  by 
the  Germans  the  Americans  occupied  it,  cleaned  it  up  a  bit  so  that 
American  troops  had  a  place  in  which  to  rest. 

The  company  remained  here  about  five  days.  At  this  time  they 
were  still  in  support  and  behind  the  fighting  line,  and  only  the  big 
shells  would  fall  around  them,  but  they  either  flew  high  or  fell  short ; 
the  worst  feature  of  the  game  at  this  time  was  the  aeroplane  bomb- 
ing. It  seemed  to  be  the  enemy's  intention  to  keep  the  American 
reserves  back  as  much  as  possible,  but  no  enemy  was  seen  at  this  time 
and  only  the  rattle  of  machine  guns  could  be  heard  in  the  distance. 


146 


Crossing  the  Meuse  on  the  6th  of  November,  they  traveled  east. 
On  and  on  they  went.  So  did  the  Germans.  After  they  had  crossed 
the  Meuse  the  first  battalion  joined  the  5th  Division,  went  through 
Bantheville,  and  by  the  8th  of  November  again  left  the  5th  Division 
and  went  back  to  the  32nd  Division  which  was  stationed  at  Peuvilliers 
in  the  Roman  Sector.  They  had  traveled  eastward  quite  a  long 
distance ;  when  at  Peuvilliers  the  32nd  Division  made  an  attack  on  the 
enemy,  and  although  successful  their  casualties  were  very  heavy.  In 
this  fight  they  lost  6  officers,  137  men  killed ;  6  officers,  198  men 
wounded ;  11  officers,  236  men  gassed ;  2  officers,  44  men  missing,  and 
2  officers,  7  men  died  of  wounds. 

Many  of  the  128th  were  killed  and  they  buried  56  out  of  the  1st 
battalion.  These,  however,  were  not  buried  until  after  the  armistice 
was  signed  and  firing  had  ceased.  During  these  trying  hours  the  con- 
test was  not  altogether  one-sided,  for  the  enemy  would  sometimes  stop 
and  react,  sometimes  causing  our  boys  to  hurriedly  retreat  to  better 
shelter.  It  was  in  one  of  these  retreats  made  by  the  Americans  on 
account  of  having  no  support,  or  having  gone  too  far  and  being  with- 
out shelter,  that  Ed.  was  w^ounded,  having  been  shot  in  the  hand ;  the 
boys  retreated  about  one  and  one-half  miles  but  it  was  impossible  for 
Ed.  to  make  it,  so  he  hid  in  a  shell  hole  with  two  others  who  were 
also  unable  to  go  any  farther.  Here  the  Germans  found  them  and 
made  them  prisoners.  This  was  on  the  Argonne  front  on  the  eve 
of  the  10th  of  November,  not  many  hours  before  firing  ceased.  This 
was  undoubtedly  the  last  onslaught  the  Germans  made.  Besides  be- 
ing wounded  in  the  hand,  a  piece  was  shot  from  his  helmet,  his  leggins 
cut,  and  he  received  a  little  tear  gas  which  affected  his  eyes. 

The  Germans  overrun  this  territory,  throwing  hand  grenades ; 
these  were  in  the  form  of  a  potato  masher  and  were  named  that  by  our 
men.  They  were  thrown  with  the  handle  in  the  hand  and  when 
they  would  light  they  would  touch  the  ground  with  the  heavy  end  and 
explode. 

Although  the  enemy  lost  quite  heavily,  leaving  35  dead  or 
wounded  on  the  battlefield,  we  lost  in  wounded  and  captured,  one 
lieutenant,  one  captain,  one  sergeant  and  16  privates.  On  the  night 
of  the  10th  of  November  the  Germans  marched  their  prisoners  into 
their  lines,  past  their  artillery  that  was  stuck  hub  deep  in  the  mud 
and  unable  to  move,  but  that  night  they  sent  over  the  American  lines 
the  most  terrible  barrage  Ed.  had  ever  heard.  He  was  by  that  time 
nearly  two  miles  behind  the  cannon,  but  his  hut  shook  and  trembled 
all  night.  There  was  no  sleep  that  night,  his  wound  having  been 
treated  and  the  Germans  having  amputated  his  thumb  caused  him  too 
much  discomfort  for  any  rest. 

147 


No  sooner  had  the  armistice  been  signed  when  the  German 
officers  lost  control  of  their  men  and  they  were  seen  leaving  every- 
thing. A  Frenchman  came  to  where  Ed.  was  and  asked  him  in  a  few 
words  of  German  he  could  speak,  and  Ed.  understanding  the  few 
words  he  could  understand,  if  he  wanted  to  go  to  the  hospital,  for  his 
arm  was  swollen  to  such  an  extent  that  it  was  feared  blood  poison 
would  set  in.  Ed.  was  not  long  in  accepting  the  invitation,  and  this 
kind  Frenchman,  who  had  been  a  prisoner  of  war  for  a  long  time, 
took  him  to  a  private  French  hospital  named  Societe  Des  Acieries  de 
Longwy.  This  kind  man,  named  Lugene  Harry,  gave  him  a  "shot" 
in  the  arm  to  kill  blood  poison  germs.  He  had  to  walk  a  long 
distance  farther  to  reach  this  hospital ;  when  he  finally  reached  the 
place  they  treated  his  wound.  Here  he  remained  seven  days  and 
while  he  was  there  he  saw  the  most  stuff  moved  toward  Germany  that 
could  be  hauled  or  dragged  homeward ;  everything  you  could  think 
of  was  hauled  homeward :  Cannon,  cavalry,  cattle,  feed,  supplies  and 
ammunition ;  and  anything  and  everything  that  could  be  saved  from 
the  wreckage  made  the  rock  roads  impassable. 

The  food  that  he  received  at  this  hospital  was  very  scarce,  con- 
sisting of  light  soups,  but  it  was  the  best  they  had  and  even  this  small 
amount  was  appreciated.  A  sister  of  Harry  by  the  name  of  Carrie 
and  a  relative  of  the  owner  of  the  hospital  came  over  one  day  and 
brought  some  cakes.  She  took  him  to  her  home  where  he  had  a 
chance  to  clean  up  and  shave,  for  he  had  not  had  a  chance  at  a  real 
cleanup  in  the  last  three  weeks  and  he  felt  like  he  looked.  After  this 
he  felt  better,  for  the  wound  was  healing  nicely.  He  remained  there 
a  day  and  a  night. 

The  American  officers  had  by  this  time  reached  the  place ;  they 
sent  him  back  into  France,  a  distance  of  more  than  200  miles  to  a 
French  hospital  at  Contrexeville,  in  the  southern  part  of  France,  that 
had  never  been  visited  by  the  invaders.  He  traveled  in  a  first  class 
French  passenger  coach  about  18  hours.  This  train  was  controlled 
by  the  French  Red  Cross,  who  treated  him  fine.  His  arm  was  still 
swollen  and  in  a  sling.  He  remained  here  two  weeks  and  his  hand 
was  treated  every  day.  Cloth  bandages  were  scarce  and  Ed.  had  his 
hand  wrapped  in  tissue  paper  instead  of  cloth.  There  were  about 
300  patients  at  this  hospital ;  wounded,  shell  shocked,  gassed  and 
blind — the  sight  was  pitiful  to  behold.  This  hospital  at  Contrexe- 
ville, called  Base  32,  had  formerly  been  a  French  summer  resort,  and 
had  been  used  as  a  summer  resort  for  tourists,  for  they  had  the  most 
beautiful  springs  there.  Some  years  before  this  Theodore  Roose- 
velt had  visited  this  place,  for  his  name  was  on  the  register  as  a  guest 


148 


while  on  a  tour  through  France.      Ed.  remained  there  two  weeks  and 
was  sent  to  Base  28,  about  128  miles  from  Bordeaux. 

He  traveled  on  an  American  train  conducted  by  the  American  Red 
Cross.  At  Base  28  he  was  classified  as  a  casual,  and  remained  there 
10  days,  when  he  boarded  another  Red  Cross  train  for  Bordeaux,  where 
he  was  again  inspected.  Before  leaving  any  hospital  he  was  deloused 
and  inspected.  At  Bordeaux  Base  20,  which  was  used  as  a  receiving 
station,  he  received  four  months'  pay. 

The  8,000  soldiers  who  were  stationed  here  were  classed  as  casuals 
and  consisted  of  wounded,  shell  shocked,  gassed,  and  in  truth  soldiers 
with  all  kinds  of  afflictions.  Base  20  was  stationed  about  five  miles 
from  the  city. 

While  at  this  place  he  met  a  person  from  St.  Louis  by  the  name 
of  Henry  W.  Kastrup,  with  whom  he  became  well  acquainted,  and  dur- 
ing his  five  weeks'  stay  they  became  the  same  as  brothers  and  were 
together  most  of  the  time,  for  their  sympathies  were  of  the  same 
nature. 

Ed.  once  more  boarded  a  Red  Cross  train  for  Bordeaux  where  he 
boarded  the  U.  S.  S.  Siboney  for  home.  This  ship  had  been  a  U.  S. 
mail  boat,  but  was  now  being  used  as  a  transport.  The  Siboney,  a 
fast  boat,  had  on  board  many  casuals,  and  when  they  left  the  shores 
of  France  they  were  but  3268  miles  from  Broadway.  They  would 
have  reached  this  place  in  seven  days,  but  the  sea  was  so  rough  that 
it  took  them  twelve  days  to  cross.  On  account  of  the  terrible  storms 
they  made  only  nine  miles  one  night,  and  this  roughness  made  them  all 
sicker  than  dogs  and  Ed.  lost  13  pounds  in  those  12  days.  He  ate 
but  five  meals  while  he  was  on  the  boat.  He  finally  landed  at  New 
York  on  the  3rd  of  March  and  was  taken  in  an  ambulance  to  Green 
Hut  Embarco  No.  3,  New  York.  He  remained  at  Green  Hut  eleven 
days,  and  was  then  sent  to  Camp  Grant  to  a  Hospital  Ward  53. 

The  Red  Cross  treated  him  well  wherever  he  went.  Nothing  was 
too  good  for  the  boys.  He  remained  at  Camp  Grant  hospital  eight 
days  when  he  received  a  10-day  pass  to  see  home  folks.  He  returned 
to  Camp  Grant  where  his  eyes  were  again  treated  and  his  hand  also, 
for  it  was  not  quite  healed.  He  was  then  discharged  from  the  hos- 
pital and  sent  to  a  convalescent  center  at  Camp  Grant.  He  remained 
there  until  the  19th  day  of  April,  when  he  was  discharged,  reaching 
home  Sunday,  the  20th  day  of  April,  1919.  In  conclusion  it  can 
be  stated  here  that  he  surprised  his  parents,  for  the  moment  he  arrived 
at  Edwardsville  he  was  picked  up  by  the  Mike  Neunaber  family,  who 
happened  to  be  in  Edwardsville  at  the  time,  and  was  at  once  taken  to 
his  home,  making  this  the  happiest  of  Easter  Sundays. 

149 


From  the  time  he  left  the  States  in  September,  1918,  he  never  re- 
ceived any  mail  until  he  again  reached  the  States  and  that  was  while 
he  was  at  Green  Hut.  It  was  not  until  then  that  he  received  the  sad 
news  of  his  brother  Henry's  death.  Ed.  had  received  much  returned 
mail  since  he  got  home ;  for  on  account  of  his  being  in  a  hospital  or 
on  the  firing  line  it  was  difficult  to  locate  him. 

While  in  France  he  saw  many  interesting  sights,  principally 
among  them  were  the  Chinese  laborers  working  in  lumber  yards. 
There  were  as  many  as  5,000  at  one  place  driving  150  teams  of  oxen ; 
he  noted  the  size  of  the  oxen,  each  weighing  more  than  a  ton ;  he  also 
noted  the  scarcity  of  horses ;  at  one  place  he  saw  cannon,  ammunition 
trains,  war  materials,  aeroplanes  and  other  supplies  that  the  Americans 
had  captured  from  the  Germans,  that  if  put  on  cars  would  make  a 
train  50  miles  long ;  he  saw  tobacco  so  scarce  that  sometimes  one  cigar- 
ette had  to  suffice  for  six ;  he  found  himself  so  hungry  at  times  that 
he  had  to  help  steal  bread  to  pacify  his  appetite ;  thus  the  experiences 
of  the  soldier  both  in  this  country  and  in  Europe  varied,  and  this  will 
have  to  suffice  here,  for  the  trials  and  tribulations  besides  their  enjoy- 
ments must  be  recorded  in  this  book  also. 

We  are  glad  Ed.  is  among  us  again ;  he  was  a  splendid  pupil,  a 
jolly  good  youth  among  his  pals,  and  now  a  valuable  farmer  and 
citizen  to  the  credit  of  his  neighborhood.  Following  is  his  honorable 
discharge  and  his  enlistment  record.  His  service  record  is  not  com- 
plete and  will  follow  the  enlistment  record  if  obtainable  before  this  is 
printed. 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Edward  A. 
Stahlhut,  No.  3104735,  Private,  Infantry  unassigned,  last  assigned 
Co.  C,  128th  Infantry,  the  United  States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of 
honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby  honorably  discharged  from  the 
military  service  of  the  United  States,  by  reason  of  Per  Par.  S.  O.  Hq. 
Camp  Grant,  111.  Said  Edward  A.  Stahlhut  was  born  in  Edwards- 
ville  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  When  enlisted  he  was  30  years  of  age 
and  by  occupation  a  farmer.  He  had  blue  eyes,  light  hair,  light  com- 
plexion, and  was  6  feet  1  inch  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at 
Camp  Grant,  111.,  this  19th  day  of  April,  1919.  Roy  T.  Piatt,  Major 
Inf.  U.  S.  A.,  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  Edward  A.  Stahlhut.  Grade:  Private.  Inducted  June 
24,  1918,  at  Edwardsville,  III,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at 
date  of  discharge.     Prior  service:    None.    Non-commissioned  officer: 

150 


Private.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating:  Not  quali- 
fied. Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements, 
skirmishes,  expeditions :  No  records  available.  Knowledge  of  any 
vocation:  Farmer.  Wounds  received  in  service:  No  records  avail- 
able. Physical  condition  when  discharged  :  Good.  Typhoid  prophy- 
laxis completed  July,  1918.  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis  completed  July 
1,1918.  Married  or  single :  Single.  Character:  Excellent.  Re- 
marks :  Soldier's  service  honest  and  faithful.  No  A.  W.  O.  L.  or 
absence  under  G.  O.  31-12  or  45-14.  Entitled  to  travel  pay  to  Ed- 
wardsville.  111.  Signature  of  soldier :  Edward  A.  Stahlhut.  W.  S. 
Fuller,  Capt.  Inf.  U.  S.  A.,  Commanding  1st  Co.  C.  C.  Camp  Grant, 
111.,  April  19,  1919.  Paid  in  full:  $118.45,  including  bonus  of  $60.00. 
Act  of  Feb.  24,  1919.       S.  H.  Francis,  Captain  Quartermaster  Corps. 


EDWARD  G.  SCHOENBAUM 

Edward  G.  Schoenbaum,  son  of  Ben  and  Mary  Schcenbaum,  was 
born  on  a  farm  about  three  miles  west  of  Bethalto,  Dec.  10,  1893.  His 
father  was  born  in  Germany  and  came  to  America  when  he  was  about 
18  years  old.  He  came  from  that  part  of  Germany  that  was  formerly 
called  Hanover,  which  was  termed  in  later  years  as  "Must  Be  Prussia." 
Ed.'s  mother  was  born  on  the  Plegge  farm  in  Wood  River  township, 
two  miles  west  of  Bethalto.  Ed.  attended  the  Walnut  Grove  school 
west  of  Bethalto  until  he  was  nine  years  old,  when  the  parents  moved 
to  another  farm  four  miles  southeast  of  Bethalto,  and  Ed.  finished  his 
schooling  at  the  Grove  school,  completing  the  Eighth  grade  work. 
On  account  of  his  father's  death  Ed.  had  to  help  manage  the  farm.  He 
registered  for  the  draft  in  June,  1917,  but  was  not  called  to  the  colors 
until  June  24,  1918. 

He,  with  many  other  Fort  Russell  boys,  left  Edwardsville  for 
Camp  Taylor  June  24,  1918.  He  was  placed  in  the  159th  Depot 
Brigade  and  later  transferred  to  Company  C,  156th  regiment ;  while  at 
Camp  Taylor  the  boys  drilled  and  hiked  for  about  three  weeks,  after 
that  they  were  sent  to  Camp  Beauregard,  Louisiana,  about  60  miles 
north  of  New  Orleans,  the  company  having  its  headquarters  at  Baton 
Rouge,  and  became  known  as  the  Old  National  Guard  regiment.  The 
company  remained  at  Camp  Beauregard  but  a  month  and  during  this 
time  the  boys  received  the  only  real  training  that  was  to  be  given 
them  in  preparation  for  overseas  service.  Here  they  had  rifle  prac- 
tice, bayonet  drills  and  gas  drills  and  such  other  exercises  as  could 
be  taught  in  this  short  space  of  time. 

151 


The  company  left  camp  on  the  10th  of  August  for  Camp  Mills, 
an  embarkation  camp  for  overseas  soldiers.  Here  they  remained 
about  eight  days,  receiving  their  equipment  for  overseas  duty ;  they 
should  have  sailed  sooner  but  the  shortage  of  clothing  delayed  them 
several  days,  although  the  ship  lay  ready  waiting  for  the  boys.  They 
went  on  board  on  the  22nd  day  of  August.  The  ship  was  the  Presi- 
dent Grant  that  had  formerly  been  a  large  freighter  and  having  been 
fitted  out  as  a  transport. 

The  President  Grant  was  about  800  feet  long  and  60  feet  wide, 
and  on  this  trip  carried  4,500  soldiers.  She  headed  straight  for 
Brest,  France,  reaching  port  on  the  3rd  of  September.  After  land- 
ing they  were  marched  for  six  miles  out  into  the  country  passing  the 
Old  Napoleon  Barracks;  they  pitched  their  "pup"  tents  on  the  hill- 
sides, for  the  camp  had  not  been  enlarged  enough  to  accommodate  so 
many  soldiers.  They  received  their  supplies  from  the  old  barracks 
and  the  camp  was  called  Pontenesen.  The  155th  and  156th  regiments  of 
infantry,  machine  gun  battalion  and  artillery  remained  at  this  camp 
but  six  days  and  then  went  farther  inland  to  a  place  called  St.  Flor- 
ent.  They  rode  two  days  and  three  nights  in  these  side  door  Pull- 
mans. These  cars  were  large  enough  to  hold  either  8  horses  or  40 
men,  and  although  they  were  only  small  cattle  cars  they  crowded  near- 
ly 40  soldiers  into  each  car.  The  only  advantage  these  companies 
had  over  many  another  company  was  that  they  were  rationed  by  the 
American  government,  for  our  pure  American  food  was  fit  to  eat  both 
on  land  and  on  sea  and  cleanliness  marked  the  places  where  you  could 
see  American  soldiers  eating  American  food.  The  food  at  this  time 
consisted  of  hard  tack,  corned  beef,  tomatoes  and  a  little  jam  to  the 
fellow  who  was  lucky  enough  to  get  it.  This  trip  in  the  cars  was 
not  very  pleasant  as  every  soldier  knows  who  has  had  a  ride  in  one 
of  them,  and  a  distance  of  more  than  280  miles  was  quite  fatiguing  on 
the  entire  lot. 

As  soon  as  they  got  off  at  St.  Florent  they  hiked  24  miles  to  a 
small  village  called  La  Salle  Conda ;  this  little  inland  town  was  soon 
filled  with  soldiers;  the  officers  got  the  best  housing,  the  horses  and 
mules  got  next  best  and  the  soldiers  got  what  was  left  in  the  form  of 
barns  and  sheds.  Ed.  was  billeted  in  one  of  these  third-class  billets. 
At  La  Salle  Conda  they  were  once  more  put  to  the  test;  they  were 
given  gas  drills,  bayonet  drills  with  gas  masks  on  and  any  other  drills 
that  spelled  intensive.  These  warm  and  rainy  September  days  were 
not  very  healthy  days  for  the  boys  and  many  contracted  pneumonia, 
one  of  whom  was  Limon  Neunaber  who  on  account  of  that  had  to  re- 
main in  camp  when  his  friends  left. 

152 


Ed.  was  at  La  Salle  Conda  from  September  15th  to  October  21st, 
when  he  and  his  bunch  left  for  the  Verdun  front.  They  again  left 
in  the  famous  old  cars  reaching  the  front  on  the  24th  day  of  October, 
making  the  distance  of  about  400  miles  in  three  days,  and  two  nights. 
He  was  placed  in  Co.  E,  128th  regiment  32nd  Division.  After  join- 
ing the  division  at  Avrecourt  they  left  for  the  front,  crossing  the 
Meuse  River, 

Avrecourt,  once  a  beautiful  city,  now  a  mass  of  ruins,  was  used 
by  the  Americans  as  a  resting  place.  Here  Ed.  rested  up,  cleaned 
up,  went  through  a  delouser  and  got  ready  for  another  dash.  Avre- 
court and  vicinity  were  a  sad  sight.  The  forest  was  termed  "Fly 
Woods"  on  account  of  the  dead  the  Germans  had  left  unburied  in  their 
retreat,  and  the  flies  were  thick  in  the  woods.  Avrecourt  lay  in  a 
hollow  and  the  woods  and  hills  around  it  had  formerly  been  part  of 
the  great  Hindenburg  line. 

After  this  place  had  been  evacuated  by  the  Germans  the 
Americans  occupied  it ;  cleaned  it  up  a  bit  so  that  the  American  troops 
had  a  place  in  which  to  rest.  They  remained  there  about  five  days ; 
at  this  time  they  were  still  in  support  and  behind  the  fighting  line  and 
only  the  big  shells  would  fall  around  them,  but  they  either  flew  high 
or  fell  short,  the  worst  feature  of  the  game  at  this  time  was  the  aero- 
plane bombing.  It  seemed  to  be  the  enemy's  intention  to  keep  the 
reserves  back  as  much  as  possible.  No  Germans  were  seen  at  this 
time  and  only  the  rattle  of  machine  guns  could  be  heard  in  the 
distance.  Crossing  the  Meuse  on  the  6th  of  November  they  trav- 
eled east.  On  and  on  they  went,  so  did  the  Germans.  After  they 
had  crossed  the  Meuse  the  first  battalion  joined  the  5th  Division, 
went  through  Bantheville  and  by  the  8th  of  November  again  left  the 
5th  Division  and  back  to  the  32nd  Division  which  was  stationed  at 
Peuvilliers  in  the  Romain  Sector.  They  had  traveled  quite  a  long 
distance  when  at  Peuviliers  the  32nd  Division  made  an  attack  on  the 
enemy  and  although  successful  their  casualties  were  quite  heavy. 
In  this  fight  they  lost  6  officers,  137  men  killed ;  6  oft'icers,  198  men 
wounded;  11  officers,  236  men  gassed;  2  officers,  44  men  missing,  2 
officers,  7  men  died  of  wounds.  Many  of  the  128th  were  killed  and 
they  buried  56  out  of  the  1st  battalion.  These,  however,  were  not 
buried  until  after  the  armistice  was  signed.  It  seems  like  this 
slaughter  could  have  been  avoided  on  what  was  later  on  known  as 
the  last  real  fighting  day.  They  shot  much  gas  but  Ed.  was  very 
careful  with  his  gas  mask  and  took  no  chances  and  those  who  risked 
more  were  soon  taken  to  the  hospital,  for  many  inhaled  gas  before 
they  realized  what  it  was. 

153 


It  is  said  that  in  some  instances  the  Americans  fought  to  the  last 
hour;  but  their  officers  came  to  their  boys  on  the  morning  of  the 
11th  and  told  them  to  avoid  further  bloodshed,  to  shoot  only  when 
a  raiding  party  came  on ;  for  the  armistice  would  probably  be  signed 
on  that  day  when  fighting  would  be  at  an  end.  The  boys  could  hardly 
believe  their  offcers  for  they  had  heard  so  many  stories  that  later  on 
had  been  contradicted  that  it  was  hard  to  believe  anything;  yet  the 
orders  of  not  firing  were  strictly  adhered  to  and  the  enemy  made  no 
advance,  although  they  kept  up  a  continual  cannonading,  but  there 
was  no  damage  done  for  it  was  all  in  one  line  and  it  seemed  they  were 
only  completing  their  program  in  a  mechanical  way. 

When  the  hour  arrived,  the  hour  of  all  hours,  firing  ceased  and  a 
deadly  stillness  prevailed,  but  this  stillness  did  not  last  long  for  soon 
the  Germans  were  seen  coming  across  the  lines  to  where  the  Americans 
were,  throwing  everything  away  and  their  hats  up  in  the  air.  Their 
officers  had  lost  control  of  them,  and  they  came  across  to  show  their 
friendship,  but  they  were  told  this  could  not  be  allowed  and  unless 
they  wanted  to  be  taken  prisoner  they  had  better  hurry  back  which 
they  did,  stating  they  were  going  straight  home.  These  had  been 
trying  hours  for  Ed. ;  he  assisted  in  burying  his  comrades,  he  did 
some  guard  duty,  he  guarded  a  bridge  on  the  morning  of  the  11th. 
Ed.  and  five  others  were  guarding  the  bridge  when  firing  ceased,  quiet 
prevailed  and  fraternizing  commenced  and  stopped. 

Soon  after  the  real  excitement  commenced.  Prisoners  were 
turned  loose  and  they  came  strolling  into  camp;  all  sorts  and  sizes, 
with  all  sorts  of  clothing.  It  was  sure  some  mixture  that  came 
strolling  back  to  the  American  lines ;  some  Americans  in  khaki,  some 
French,  some  Moroccans,  and  some  Italians.  But  for  some  reason 
unknown  there  were  no  English  prisoners  among  them.  But  the 
saddest  yet  the  most  laughable  was  the  scene  when  upon  closer  in- 
spection you  could  see  the  poor  boys'  clothing  and  general  appear- 
ance. After  they  had  been  taken  prisoner  they  had  been  sadly  neg- 
lected and  when  they  did  come  strolling  back  many  had  no  shoes, 
many  wore  German  caps,  many  had  whiskers  and  hair  all  over  their 
heads.  The  scene  cannot  be  overdrawn  and  we  will  let  the  reader 
alone  in  his  own  imagination,  for  this  kept  up  from  the  11th  day  of 
November  until  the  17th,  making  six  days  of  a  continual  flow  of  wel- 
come boys. 

On  the  17th  of  November  they  started  to  march  eastward,  reach- 
ing the  Luxemburg  line  on  the  23rd  and  remained  there  until  the  first 
of  December;  for  according  to  the  armistice  terms  they  were  not 
allowed  to  cross  the  line  until  then. 

154 


They  celebrated  Thanksgiving  on  the  Luxemburg  line  and  ate 
Thanksgiving  dinner  there.  It  consisted  of  food  that  had  been 
abandoned  by  the  Germans  in  their  hurried  retreat.  This  was  not  a 
fancy  American  Thanksgiving  dinner  but  it  was  appreciated  just  the 
same.  They  crossed  the  Sour  River  into  Luxemburg  at  7  :30  in  the 
morning  of  December  1st  at  a  place  called  Rosport  on  the  Sour. 
Here  in  Luxemburg  the  soldiers  ate  and  slept  in  houses ;  they  had  al- 
most forgotten  what  the  inside  of  a  house  looked  like,  and  this  mode 
of  living  was  sure  appreciated  by  the  boys.  Ed.  was  stationed  in  a 
beautiful  school  house  which  was  now  exclusively  used  by  the  sol- 
diers ;  it  was  electrically  lighted  and  heated. 

From  the  Sour  River  they  started  their  march  across  Luxemburg 
traveling  sometimes  as  much  as  40  miles  a  day ;  they  would  hike  50 
minutes  and  rest  10  minutes.  They  reached  the  Rhine  River  on 
the  12th,  crossing  the  famous  bridge  at  Engers  on  the  13th.  Engers 
is  a  few  miles  north  and  below  Coblenz,  and  the  bridge  that  they 
crossed  had  been  built  by  prisoners  of  war.  It  was  said  not  an 
American  soldier  had  assisted  in  building  this  bridge  consisting  of 
large  arches  and  was  large  enough  for  a  railroad  and  a  wagon  road. 
They  crossed  this  bridge  on  Friday,  the  13th,  which  was  construed 
by  many  Americans  as  unlucky  and  they  feared  that  they  would  never 
get  back.  They  hiked  about  20  miles  inland  and  took  up  positions 
in  various  towns,  making  Dierdorf  as  the  center  of  activity.  The 
principal  duty  was  to  guard  the  outposts  to  see  that  no  one  crossed 
the  ten  mile  neutral  zone  that  had  been  established.  No  one  could 
cross  in  either  direction  without  a  pass,  so  the  Americans  guarded 
one  side  of  the  neutral  zone  and  the  Germans  the  other.  No  fra- 
ternizing was  allowed. 

They  remained  at  Dierdorf  until  Dec.  26th,  spending  Christmas  in 
glorious  style.  The  Germans  prepared  Christmas  trees  and  they 
served  wine,  cigars  and  everything  the  town  could  afford.  After  the 
26th  of  December  they  occupied  smaller  towns  such  as  Puderbach  and 
Steinmel,  still  guarding  the  line.  They  remained  at  Steinmel  until 
the  19th  day  of  April,  when  they  started  for  home.  They  were  loaded 
on  trucks  as  soon  as  they  had  been  relieved  by  the  2nd  Division.  They 
traveled  in  trucks  through  the  western  part  of  Germany  until  they 
once  more  reached  Envers  on  the  Rhine.  Here  they  were  put  in 
American  box  cars,  passed  through  Coblenz,  and  on  the  20th,  Easter 
morning,  passed  through  Metz,  then  through  Neuchateau,  Toul,  St. 
Aignan,  Rennes,  St.  Brieuc  and  Brest  which  they  reached  on  the  22nd 
of  April  after  a  70  hour  ride  in  American  box  cars  which  were  much 


155 


larger  and  gave  them  much  better  accommodations  than  the   French 
cars. 

They  remained  at  Brest  until  the  26th,  when  they  boarded  the 
good  ship  George  Washington  at  11  a.  m.  They  were  on  the  sea 
but  eight  days  and  although  many  became  seasick  Ed.  was  sick  but 
very  little.  They  reached  New  York  on  the  5th  of  May,  were  sent 
to  Camp  Mills  and  from  there  to  Camp  Grant,  where  he  was  dis- 
charged on  the  19th  of  May,  just  a  month  after  they  left  Germany. 
Following  is  his  discharge: 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 
To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Edward  G. 
Schoenbaum,  3104730,  Private,  1st  class  Co.  E,  128th  Infantry,  the 
United  States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is 
hereby  honorably  discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United 
States  by  reason  of  convenience  of  government.  Per  Cir.  106  War 
Dept.,  1918.  Said  Edward  G.  Schoenbaum  was  born  in  East  Alton 
in  the  State  of  Illinois.  When  enlisted  he  was  24  6-12  years  of  age 
and  by  occupation  a  farmer.  He  had  blue  eyes,  dark  hair,  medium 
complexion  and  was  5  feet  8  1-2  inches  in  height.  Given  under  my 
hand  at  Camp  Grant,  111.,  this  19th  day  of  April,  1919.  F.  J.  Schnel- 
ler.  Major  Infantry  U.  S.  A.,  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 
Name:  Edward  G.  Schoenbaum.  Grade:  Private  1st  class. 
Inducted  June  24,  1918,  at  Edwardsville,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlist- 
ment period  at  date  of  discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Non-com- 
missioned officer:  Never.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or 
rating :  Not  rated.  Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engage- 
ments, skirmishes,  expeditions:  Meuse-Argonne  Offensive  Oct.  24, 
1918,  to  Nov.  11,  1918,  Army  of  Occupation  Nov.  17,  1918,  to  April 
19,  1919.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation  :  Farming.  Wounds  received 
in  service:  None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged:  Good. 
Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed :  3-16-1918.  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis 
completed  3-16-1918.  Married  or  single:  Single.  Character:  Ex- 
cellent. Remarks — .  Signature  of  soldier:  Edward  G.  Schoen- 
baum. Chas.  E.  Wadamen,  1st  Lieut.  Inf.  161st  D.  B.,  Camp  Grant, 
111.,  May  19,  1919.  Paid  in  full :  $127.55,  including  bonus  of  $60.00, 
Act  of  Feb.  24,  1919.      S.  H.  Francis,  Captain  Quartermaster  Corps. 


156 


FRANK  J.  STARKEY 

Frank  J.  Starkey,  son  of  Frank  and  Fannie  Starkey,  was  born  in 
Bethalto,  January  16.  1893.  He  attended  the  Bethalto  school,  com- 
pleting- the  Ninth  grade.  After  he  quit  school  he  worked  on  his 
father's  farm  for  a  while  but  did  not  remain  on  the  farm  long  for  hav- 
ing learned  telegraphy  he  went  to  work  for  the  Big  Four  Railroad 
Company,  St.  Louis  Division,  as  telegrapher.  In  June,  1917,  he  was 
telegrapher  at  Shelbyville  and  it  was  there  he  registered  but  he  gave 
Bethalto  as  his  home  and  it  was  from  this  district  that  he  was  called 
to  the  colors,  although  he  was  working  at  Livingston  when  he  was 
called. 

He  left  with  the  Alton  contingent  Sept.  20,  1917,  having  been 
sworn  in  the  day  before.  Frank  reached  Camp  Taylor  at  10:30  at 
night  and  the  next  day  he  was  placed  in  Co.  E,  333rd  Infantry.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  to  reach  Camp  Taylor.  His  principal  duty  was  in- 
fantry drills  or  company  duty  as  it  is  often  called.  He  was  put  in 
the  333rd  Headquarters  band  for  two  weeks,  but  he  preferred  other 
line  of  duty  and  Frank  finally  succeeded  in  getting  a  transfer  in 
October,  1917,  to  Co.  C,  309th  Signal  Battalion.  This  was  more  to 
his  liking  and  he  was  well  qualified  for  this  position.  His  principal 
duties  now  were  signaling,  telephony,  line  work,  telegraphy,  radio, 
heliography,  electricity  and  many  other  duties  connected  with  this 
line  of  work,  such  as  coding,  semaphore,  etc. 

Frank  entered  as  a  private  and  became  first  class  private  in  De- 
cember, 1917,  and  corporal  on  the  15th  of  March,  1918,  and  sergeant 
May  1,  1918.  In  February,  1918,  he  passed  the  examination  in  gas, 
smoke  and  fiame  school  and  received  his  certificate.  On  June  3  his 
company  was  sent  to  Camp  Sherman,  Ohio,  where  his  duties  remained 
the  same.  He  was  sent  to  the  Gas  Noncommissioned  Officers'  School, 
and  passing  the  examination  was  made  a  non-com.  the  middle  of  June, 
His  duties  from  then  on  varied.  He  became  instructor  in  the  gas 
school.  The  object  of  this  was  to  teach  the  soldiers  gas  warfare  not 
only  from  a  defensive  standpoint  but  for  offensive  purpose  also.  On 
June  21,  he  took  examination  for  sergeant  first-class,  the  questions 
having  been  prepared  at  Washington,  and  passing  he  was  made 
sergeant  first  class,  on  the  25th  of  June.  His  work  was  the  same 
as  before  until  August,  when  his  company  left  Camp  Sherman  for 
overseas  duty.  They  were  sent  to  Camp  Mills,  L.  L,  where  they 
were  equipped  for  overseas  duty.  The  company  had  been  in  training 
a  long  time  and  every  one  was  ready  and  eager  to  go. 

While  at  Camp  Mills,  Frank  was  put  in  charge  of  the  4th  section 
of  Co.  C,  which  consisted  of  65  men.      They  left  Hoboken  at  10:45 

157 


a.  m.  on  the  9th  of  September,  1918,  in  the  same  convoy  with  many 
other  Bethalto  boys,  among-  whom  were  Ted  Zimmermann,  Les  Prehn 
and  Frank  Driscol,  and  the  trip  across  is  fully  described  elsewhere. 
There  were  14  ships  in  the  convoy  and  Frank  sailed  on  H.  M.  S. 
Grampian,  a  large  British  ship,  and  8,000  of  our  American  boys  were 
put  under  the  rules  of  the  British,  especially  in  the  line  of  food,  and 
the  only  word  Frank  had  by  way  of  softening  the  tone  of  his  feel- 
ing was  "Bum,"  which  means  anything  but  fancy  in  our  American 
language.  Part  of  the  convoy  went  south  down  the  Irish  sea  and 
landed  at  Liverpool,  and  part  entered  the  Firth  of  Clyde  and  landed 
at  Glasgow,  Scotland.  One  submarine  was  sunk  and  one  after  they 
left  the  convoy.  They  landed  at  2  a.  m.  on  the  20th  day  of  September 
and  got  on  the  train  at  once  and  went  to  Winchester,  England ;  and 
at  Camp  Winnell  Down  Frank,  to  his  surprise,  met  Ted  and  Les,  who 
had  just  arrived  from  Liverpool,  for  they  had  been  in  the  same  con- 
voy. 

Frank  had  a  chance  to  visit  many  interesting  places  in  Win- 
chester, among  which  was  the  Winchester  Cathedral,  in  which  lie 
buried  the  remains  of  Joan  of  Arc  and  many  notable  personages  of 
ancient  time.  Frank  left  Winnel  Down  before  Ted  and  Les,  thus 
sparing  him  that  memorable  hike  from  there  to  Southampton  for  the 
trainmen  did  not  go  on  a  strike  until  the  next  day.  He  rode  to 
Southampton  and  got  on  the  boat  to  cross  the  channel  that  same 
night.  The  sea  was  rough  and  the  weather  stormy.  The  boat  was 
used  to  carry  German  prisoners  one  way  and  American  soldiers  the 
other.  A  submarine  was  encountered  but  the  sea  was  too  rough  and 
the  submarine  was  chased  away  without  doing  any  damage  to  the 
boat,  which  crossed  in  ten  hours  and  landed  at  Cherbourg,  France,  at 
2  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

They  marched  to  a  British  rest  camp  four  miles  away ;  they  were 
rationed  by  the  British  and  the  principal  rest  they  received  was  a 
stomach  rest.  They  rested  in  round  tents  large  enough  for  eight, 
but  in  this  instance  they  put  fourteen  in  each  tent.  They  slept  with 
their  heads  outside  and  their  feet  up  the  tent  pole.  Thus  they  rested 
two  days  when  they  were  put  in  box  cars  and  were  hauled  to  Neuvic, 
near  Bordeaux.  From  Neuvic  they  hiked  24  miles  to  Monpont. 
While  there  the  Signal  Platoon  was  attached  to  the  336th  Infantry  and 
Frank  was  put  in  charge  of  130  men.  They  established  telegraph 
and  telephone  lines  between  Mont  and  Mussidan,  a  distance  of  17 
miles.  They  installed  telephones  to  get  into  direct  communication 
with  the  84th  Division  of  which  they  were  a  part.  The  object  was  to 
establish  communication  between  points  in    this  area    of    southern 

158 


France  where  the  84th  Division  was  located.  They  remained  there 
until  the  first  of  October,  then  went  back  to  Neuvic  and  from  there 
to  Les  Montiles  in  first  class  coaches  to  within  about  nine  miles  of 
Blois,  in  the  north  central  part  of  France.  Then  the  battalion  was 
broke  up  and  Frank  was  transferred  to  the  9th  Field  Signal  Battalion, 
5th  Division.  Here  he  became  sergeant  first  class  upon  reaching  the 
Sedan  front.  In  going  from  Blois  to  the  front  to  join  the  5th 
Division  Frank  suflfered  severely  from  cold. 

Frank  reached  the  front  about  the  first  of  November,  and 
just  as  they  were  ready  to  go  into  action  the  armistice  was 
signed.  Their  headquarters  were  on  the  Mt.  Faucon  front,  but 
Frank  did  not  reach  Mt.  Faucon.  He  remained  between 
Verdun  and  Dun  Sur  Meuse,  after  the  armistice.  He  remained 
one  night  at  Dun  Sur  Meuse,  then  went  north  to  Lion  where 
the  Battalion  and  Division  Headquarters  were  stationed.  These 
were  usually  together  and  Frank  remained  there  two  days.  He  was 
next  put  on  detached  service,  407th  Telephone  Battalion.  He  then 
went  to  Longuyon  where  he  worked  in  the  telegraph  ofifice  two  days. 
He  then  went  to  Lux  City,  where  he  worked  in  the  telegraph  office 
until  the  first  of  February,  1919.  Frank  was  on  duty  eight  hours 
a  day,  and  the  work  seemed  much  like  the  work  he  had  done  while 
he  was  in  America.  Up  to  the  time  and  many  days  after  the  arm- 
istice was  signed  a  great  deal  of  the  time  was  spent  in  hiking  from 
place  to  place  and  the  distance  hiked  can  be  counted  only  in  hundreds 
of  miles,  and  although  much  devastated  area  was  traversed,  little  could 
be  observed  and  although  many  bodies  were  still  strewn  along  their 
path  little  heed  could  be  taken  of  it  for  during  these  long  dreary  hikes 
the  boys  became  weary  and  foot  sore,  and  their  personal  welfare  out- 
shadowed  all  items  of  interest.  This  is  the  main  reason  so  many  of  our 
boys  passed  so  many  noted  places  without  taking  any  notice  of  them. 
The  spirit  was  willing  to  note  these  things,  but  the  body  was  too  weary. 
Thus  it  happened  when  Frank  got  back  to  steady  employment  and 
again  received  fine  treatment  in  Lion,  where  he  roomed  with  a  private 
German  family,  Frank  became  Happy-Go-Lucky  Frank  again.  \Miile 
he  was  stationed  in  occupied  territory  he  received  excellent  treatment 
from  the  inhabitants.  They  spoke  no  English,  but  German  and 
French,  besides  their  own,  the  Luxemburg  language. 

He  remained  until  February  1,  when  he  was  relieved  and  sent 
to  Esch  sur  Alzette,  where  he  did  company  duty  and  was  put  in 
charge  of  the  1st  platoon  Co.  C.  Here  they  drilled  a  while  but  he 
was  soon  put  on  special  duty  and  he  worked  nights  at  Division  Head- 
quarters telegraph  office.       Although  the  weather  was  cold  Frank 

159 


did  not  suffer  any  for  his  work  was  mostly  indoors.  Though  the  in- 
habitants of  this  section  were  not  required  to  serve  in  the  army,  many 
through  sympathy  joined  the  French  army  and  many  joined  the  Ger- 
man army. 

At  Esch  the  duty  was  light  and  the  telegraph  work  made  the  time 
pass  quite  rapidly ;  and  while  there  he  went  as  a  courier  with  Major 
Temple  of  the  Signal  Battalion  on  some  mission  to  Berlin.  Thus  we 
find  Frank  the  only  Bethalto  boy  to  enter  the  city  of  Berlin.  He 
saw  the  beauties  of  the  city ;  he  saw  Unter  Den  Linden  Street ;  and 
as  many  sights  as  could  be  seen  in  one  day.  From  Berlin  they  trav- 
eled to  Coblenz,  where  he  remained  two  days  and  took  a  trip  up  the 
Rhine,  the  beauties  of  which  is  left  to  the  imagination  of  the  reader. 
He  went  as  far  as  Bingen-on-the-Rhine.  He  visited  the  Kaiser's 
castle  and  saw  the  beautiful  furniture,  he  saw  many  relics  of  Roman 
times ;  he  saw  the  clock  that  was  made  in  the  14th  century.  The 
floors  of  this  castle  were  so  smooth  and  beautiful  that  you  had  to 
wear  felt  shoes  before  you  could  enter  any  of  these  rooms. 

After  the  second  day  at  Coblenz  he  went  back  to  Esch.  In 
March  Frank  received  another  pass  and  he  took  advantage  of  it  by 
going  into  Southern  France ;  he  went  to  Chamouix  near  the  Swiss 
border,  where  the  beauties  of  Mt.  Blanc  and  the  Alps  were  more  pleas- 
ant to  behold  than  the  scenes  on  the  Rhine. 

During  Frank's  stay  in  the  army  he  had  four  passes ;  the  first  one 
a  five-day  pass  at  Camp  Taylor  in  January,  1918,  the  second  at  Camp 
Taylor  in  June,  1918 ;  during  this  three-day  pass  he  visited  home  folks 
at  Bethalto ;  the  third  was  a  two-day  pass  to  Coblenz ;  and  the  fourth 
a  seven-day  pass  to  southern  France.  On  July  8th  Frank  once  more 
left  Esch  ;  this  time  he  was  wending  his  way  homeward.  After  a 
three  days'  ride  in  American  box  cars  he  arrived  at  Brest  on  the  11th 
and  remained  there  four  days  and  on  July  15th  he  sailed  from  France 
on  the  U.  S.  Radnor,  landing  at  Hoboken  on  the  28th  of  July.  He 
was  sent  to  Camp  Mills,  from  which  place  he  was  sent  to  Camp  Grant, 
where  he  was  discharged  on  the  third  of  August,  the  last  and  longest 
day  during  his  entire  army  life.  He  reached  Alton  at  5  :40  the  next 
morning,  from  where  he  was  taken  to  his  home  near  Bethalto. 

Following  is  his  discharge  and  enlistment  record : 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  v/hom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Frank  J. 
Starkey,  19SS156,  sergeant  1st  class  Co.  C,  9th  Field  Signal  Bn.,  the 
United  States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service, 
is  hereby  honorably  discharged    from  the    military    service    of    the 

160 


GEORGE  LUMAN 

Co.  A,  125th  Reg.  Engineers 


GEORGE  F.   SMITH 

Co.  I,  132nd  Infantry 


WILLIAM   H.   LUMAN 
Corp.,  Co.  K,  309th  Infantry 


FRANK  J.  STARKEY 

Sgt.,  Co.  C,  9th  Field  Sig.  Bn. 


HENRY  C.  BANGERT 

Co.  F,  362nd  Infantry 


GUSTAVE  H.  BANGERT 
Co.  E,  132nd  Infantry 


EDWARD  BANGERT 

Co.  E,  132nd  Infantry 


BEN   T.    ALBERS 

Wag.,  46th  Infantry 


United  States,  by  reason  of  convenience  of  government  demobilization 
of  organization,  per  circular  106  W.  D.  1918.  Said  Frank  J.  Starkey 
was  born  in  Bethalto  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  When  enlisted  he  was 
23  years  of  age  and  by  occupation  a  telegrapher.  He  had  blue  eyes, 
brown  hair,  light  complexion,  and  was  5  feet  6  3-4  inches  in  height. 
Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp  Grant,  111.,  this  4th  day  of  August,  1919. 
Harry  B.  Goodwin,  Major  Infantry,  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  Frank  J.  Starkey.  Grade:  Sergeant  1st  class.  Inducted 
9-19-1917,  at  Alton,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at  date  of 
discharge.  Prior  service:  None.  Non-commissioned  officer: 
Sergeant  1st  class.  Marksmanship,  gimner  qualification  or  rating: 
Not  rated.  Horsemanship.  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements, 
skirmishes,  expeditions  :  None.  A.  E.  F.  decorations,  badges  :  None. 
Medals,  citations  :  None.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation :  Telegrapher. 
Wounds  received  in  service:  None.  Physical  condition  when  dis- 
charged: Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed  9-30-17.  Para- 
typhoid prophylaxis  completed  9-30-17.  Married  or  single:  Single. 
Character:  Excellent.  Remarks:  Entitled  to  travel  pay  to  Alton, 
111.  Sailed  from  U.  S.  9-9-18,  returned  to  U.  S.  7-28-19.  Absence 
without  leave  under  G.  O.  No.  3  W.  D.  1912  and  No.  45  W.  D  1914 : 
None  Signature  of  soldier :  Frank  J.  Starkey.  H.  F.  Higgins,  Inf. 
Demob.  Group,  Commanding.  Camp  Grant,  111.,  Aug.  4,  1919.  Paid 
in  full  $119.35,  including  bonus  of  $60.00,  Act  of  Feb.  24,  1919. 
P.  G.  Hoyt,  Maj.  Q.  M.  C. 


CLARENCE  S.  RYAN 

Clarence  S.  Ryan,  son  of  William  and  Katherine  Ryan,  was  born 
in  Dorchester,  111.,  Feb.  17,  1899.  The  family  moved  to  Bethalto 
when  Clarence  was  four  years  of  age  and  he  has  considered  this  his 
home  since.  He  attended  the  Bethalto  school,  completing  the  Eighth 
grade.  After  he  quit  school  he  worked  for  the  Beall  Bros.  Tool 
Company.  During  the  summer  of  1917  Companies  I  and  M,  of  the 
Illinois  National  Guard  were  stationed  at  East  Alton,  guarding  the 
Western  Cartridge  Co.,  which  had  at  that  time  large  contracts  making 
ammunition  to  prosecute  the  war. 

Clarence,  under  these  influences  and  circumstances,  got  the 
patriotic  spirit  that  so  many  had  at  the  beginning  of  the  vx^ar,  and  he 
enlisted  in  the  Illinois  National  Guard  Company  I  on  the  27th  day 

161 


of  August,  1917,  when  he  was  but  18  years  of  age.  On  September 
1st  he  was  sent  to  Camp  Logan,  Texas,  with  his  company,  reaching 
that  place  September  4,  1917.  He  remained  in  Co.  I  until  December 
26th,  when  his  regiment,  the  Fifth,  of  which  Co.  I  was  a  part,  formed 
the  122nd,  123rd,  and  124th  Machine  Gun  Battalion.  He  remained 
in  Co.  D  of  the  123rd  M.  G.  B.  until  March  5,  1918,  when  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Supply  Co.  131  si  Infantry  of  the  33rd  Division,  which  had 
formerly  been  known  as  the  First  Illinois  Infantry.  His  position  in 
the  Supply  Company  of  the  131st  was  that  of  Wagoner,  which  he  held 
throughout  his  entire  period  of  enlistment.  Before  he  became  part 
of  the  Supply  Company  his  time  was  taken  up  in  the  usual  line  of 
drilling,  etc. ;  after  the  change  his  duty  was  to  haul  ammunition,  sup- 
plies, and  rations  for  his  company. 

Clarence  remained  at  Camp  Logan,  Houston,  Texas,  until  the  9th 
of  May,  when  he  with  his  company  was  sent  to  Camp  Upton,  N.  Y., 
making  his  way  to  the  East  for  transportation  across  for  overseas 
duty.  After  being  equipped  for  this  purpose  he  boarded  the  ship 
"Leviathan,"  a  large  interned  German  liner  that  had  formerly  been  the 
"Fatherland." 

The  "Leviathan"  left  Hoboken  on  the  eve  of  the  23rd  of  May; 
she  went  alone  and  was  eight  days  in  crossing  the  waters.  She  had 
good  sailing  and  a  smooth  sea  and  Clarence  did  not  become  seasick, 
for  the  boat  was  954  feet  long  and  could  plow  through  the  waves 
easily.  She  had  16,000  soldiers  and  250  Red  Cross  nurses  on  board. 
Two  days  out  of  Brest  she  was  met  by  five  sub-chasers  and  they  pro- 
tected her  from  submarine  attacks.  Two  hours  before  they  landed 
these  chasers  encountered  five  submarines  that  had  been  sent  out  to 
either  destroy  the  "Fatherland"  or  "Leviathan"  as  we  called  her,  or 
never  return.  The  result  was  that  three  submarines  were  sunk  and 
the  other  two  surrendered  and  told  the  story  of  having  been  sent  out 
to  destroy  the  ship. 

Clarence  saw  part  of  the  fight,  but  he  was  soon  called  below  and 
could  not  witness  this  episode  as  he  desired.  This  was  the  first  time 
he  ever  heard  a  cannon  roar.  They  landed  on  Decoration  Day,  1918, 
and  hiked  to  the  Napoleon  Camp,  a  small  camp  at  that  time,  about 
three  miles  out.  They  stayed  there  four  days  to  rest,  when  on  the 
third  of  June  they  started  into  France  in  French  box  cars  that  are  de- 
scribed elsewhere  in  this  book. 

They  rode  in  these  cars  three  days  and  three  nights  until  they 
reached  the  Huppy  Area,  near  Amiens  and  Albert.  They  were  trained 
under  the  British  officers  for  two  weeks  and  received  their  animals 


162 


at  Huppy.      After  that  they  hiked  for  three  days  to  within  about  12 
miles  from  the  lines  back  of  Albert. 

A  great  drive  by  the  Germans  was  expected  near  Hamel  and 
C  and  G  companies  of  the  131st  and  A  and  F  companies  of  the  132nd 
entered  the  lines,  but  the  expected  drive  did  not  come.  They  entered 
the  lines  on  the  2nd  of  July  and  on  th  4th  they  went  over  the  top. 
They  went  over  with  the  Australians  who  were  noble  fellows  and  good 
fighters ;  after  this  first  hop  over  that  the  Americans  had  made,  the 
colonel  of  the  35th  Battalion  of  Australians  in  making  a  speech  to  the 
Americans  said,  "You  are  fighting  fools,  but  I  am  for  you."  The 
131st  lost  a  few  men  in  this,  their  first  fight.  After  that  they  hiked 
to  Chapilly  in  the  same  sector  where  another  German  drive  was  antici- 
pated. At  this  place  called  Chapilly  Ridge  on  the  Somme  River  the 
Americans  fought  with  the  English.  Chapilly  Ridge  was  in  the  hands 
of  the  Germans  and  was  well  fortified  and  the  company  was  continual- 
ly under  shell  fire  and  aeroplanes  were  flying  over  them  all  the  time, 
dropping  explosive  shells  all  around  them. 

The  English  tried  twice  to  take  the  ridge  but  were  disastrously 
defeated  and  driven  back  each  time.  It  was  now  time  for  the  131st 
to  try  which  they  did  with  their  heavy  packs,  but  unlike  the  English 
they  went  over  and  though  many  lives  were  lost  the  objective  was 
gained  and  Chapilly  Ridge  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Americans.  It 
was  at  this  place  and  at  this  time  that  the  American  soldiers  told  the 
English  soldiers  that  they  would  assist  them  in  getting  each  a  medal 
for  making  such  a  grand  retreat,  much  to  the  chagrin  of  the  English, 
who  could  do  nothing  but  accept  their  taunting.  This  falling  back 
of  the  British  and  this  glorious  advance  of  our  boys  was  a  great  day, 
and  any  one  of  the  131st  who  reads  this  will  verify  Clarence's  state- 
ment. Clarence  was  by  this  time  beginning  to  be  a  good  hand  at 
hauling  supplies  to  the  front.  It  w^as  here  he  lost  his  friend  William 
Hintz,  of  Sterling,  111.,  who  was  a  wagoner.  He  was  hit  by  a  one- 
pounder  from  a  trench  mortar  which  also  killed  one  of  the  mules  he 
was  riding  and  shell-shocked  the  other  so  he  became  useless. 

On  August  12th  they  hiked  to  Amiens,  where  they  camped  that 
night  in  an  old  stubble  field,  and  the  next  day  they  boarded  the  French 
trains  for  the  American  sector  near  Verdun.  They  went  through 
Paris  and  Laon  and  detrained  at  Thronville  and  moved  to  Germon- 
ville,  four  miles  from  Verdun,  and  from  there  into  the  lines  of  the 
Verdun  front.  The  French  had  driven  the  Germans  back  to  Dead 
Man's  Hill  but  could  get  them  back  no  farther.  They  moved  into 
Chatincourt  at  the  foot  of  Dead  Man's  Hill,  a  place  that  had  been 
shelled  nearly  three  years.      On  the  26th  of  September  the  131st  and 

163 


132nd  went  over,  driving-  the  Germans  as  far  as  Forges  Woods.  The 
129th  was  in  reserve  of  the  131st,  and  the  130th  was  in  reserve  of  the 
132nd.  Forges  swamp  was  on  the  other  side  of  Dead  Man's  Hill,  and 
on  the  night  of  the  26th  the  131st  crossed  Forges  Swamp,  and  the 
108th  Engineers  built  a  pontoon  bridge  across  the  Meuse  so  that  the 
131st  could  cross. 

The  engineers  were  continually  under  shell  fire  but  they  suc- 
ceeded. They  pushed  the  enemy  back  as  far  as  Consenvoye,  a  small 
village,  and  after  they  evacuated  this  village  the  131st  remained  there 
a  few  days  during  which  time  Clarence  was  continually  hauling  am- 
munition, etc.  From  Consenvoye  they  hiked  to  a  French  village 
called  Dunodge,  where  they  remained  two  days  and  three  nights  and 
w^ere  then  moved  to  the  St.  Mihiel  Sector  where  they  remained  until 
the  11th  of  November,  holding  the  lines.  On  the  morning  of  Arm- 
istice Day  they  made  the  last  hop  over  which  proved  unsuccessful  for 
they  tried  hard  to  take  the  town  of  Doncourt  by  force.  Had  they 
quietly  marched  to  the  town  the  Germans  stated  that  they  would  have 
given  them  the  town,  for  they  also  knew  that  the  armistice  would  be 
signed,  but  since  they  came  in  such  a  manner  the  Germans  resisted, 
causing  the  loss  of  64  killed  and  many  more  wounded. 

When  the  hour  struck,  word  came  to  cease  firing ;  the  Germans 
ceased  first.  The  Americans  did  not  advance  into  the  town,  for  it 
had  been  mined  and  it  was  needless  to  shed  more  blood.  Several 
heard  the  German  buglers  blow  "Recall."  Shortly  after  that  they 
could  hear  a  blowing  up  of  the  mines  and  ammunition  dumps,  and  then 
a  quiet,  a  terrible  quiet,  began  to  creep  over  them  and  the  deadly  still- 
ness made  everything  seem  weird. 

After  the  armistice  was  signed  a  graveyard  was  established  near 
Hammonville  where  the  dead  were  buried.  Clarence  assisted  in  haul- 
ing the  dead  from  the  place  where  they  had  fallen  to  the  graveyard. 
Their  lieutenant  was  captured  by  the  Germans  while  he  was  out  with 
a  patrol  party.  He  was  returned  the  next  day.  The  Fourth  Division 
relieved  the  33rd  and  they  followed  up  the  Germans  as  they  evacuated 
the  sector,  and  the  131st  went  to  rest  up,  which  they  needed  badly,  for 
they  had  been  in  the  fighting  and  in  the  trenches  44  days. 

To  show  that  the  work  was  steady  and  no  rest  anywhere  was  ex- 
plained by  the  fact  that  Clarence  received  no  bath  from  the  26th  of 
September  until  the  19th  of  December.  He  was  in  a  filthy  condition, 
and  the  cooties  had  nearly  eaten  him  up.  It  was  an  awful  and  a 
shameful  condition  to  be  in,  but  a  wagoner  had  duties  that  kept  him 
constantly  in  the  harness. 


164 


They  had  been  stationed  at  Thilotte  and  from  there  they  hiked  to 
Mars  La  Tours,  where  they  rested  all  night  and  then  went  to  Wor- 
meldingen  in  Luxemburg.  They  crossed  Luxemburg  and  crossed  the 
Moselle  River  into  Germany,  hiking  20  miles  to  Serrig.  Here  he 
slept  in  a  bed  the  first  time  for  many  months,  and  they  made  it  seem 
like  home,  for  the  Germans  at  this  place  loved  the  Americans.  Here 
Clarence  met  two  machine  gunners  the  131st  had  fought  on  Chapilly 
Ridge  in  July ;  but  the  feeling  toward  each  other  had  changed ;  now 
it  was  friends  and  enemies  no  more. 

They  remained  at  Serrig  six  days  when  they  were  transferred  to 
the  Army  of  Occupation  under  the  command  of  the  Third  Army  Corps. 
They  hiked  to  Fels  reaching  that  place  on  the  19th  of  December, 
where  a  bathhouse  had  been  put  up  and  Clarence  received  his  first 
bath  since  the  26th  of  September.  Here  he  went  through'  a  delouser, 
a  thing  unknown  to  him.  They  remained  at  Fels  from  the  19th  of 
December  until  the  9th  of  May,  nearly  five  months.  His  duties  dur- 
ing this  time  was  the  same  as  before,  hauling  supplies  to  feed  the 
companies.  Fels,  a  Luxemburg  town,  was  near  the  lines  of  several 
countries  and  the  inhabitants  of  this  place,  young  and  old,  could  speak 
French,  Belgium,  High  German  and  Low  German,  besides  their  own, 
but  could  not  speak  English.  On  May  9th  they  boarded  trains  for 
Brest,  reaching  that  place  within  a  few  days.  They  sailed  on  the 
14th  on  the  Kaiserin  Victoria  Augusta,  the  Kaiser's  wife's  ship  once 
upon  a  time.  The  voyage  was  rough,  but  Clarence  was  not  seasick. 
There  were  6,000  on  board  and  they  reached  Hoboken  on  the  23rd  of 
May.  They  went  to  Camp  Mills,  and  from  there  to  Chicago,  where 
they  paraded,  and  in  the  evening  left  for  Camp  Grant,  remaining  there 
until  the  5th  of  June  when  he  was  discharged,  reaching  home  the  same 
day. 

Thus  the  life  of  a  volunteer  is  told  briefly.  Clarence  did  his 
duty.  He  was  exposed  to  shell  fire  more  than  four  months ;  his  life 
was  not  a  pleasant  one.  During  his  entire  stay  in  the  army  he  re- 
ceived neither  furlough  nor  pass.  Yet  no  complaint  comes  from  the 
brave  boy's  lips.  Much  more  can  be  told  but  we  leave  the  reader  to 
surmise  the  rest.       His  discharge — none  better— reads  as  follows : 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Clarence 
S.  Ryan,  1386236,  wagoner,  last  assigned  to  Supply  Co.  131st  Inf.,  the 
United  States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service, 
is  hereby  honorably  discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the 
United  States,  by  reason  of  convenience  of  government,  per  par.  106, 

165 


W.  D.  1918.  Said  Clarence  S.  Ryan  was  born  in  Dorchester  in  the 
State  of  Illinois.  When  enlisted  he  was  18  years  of  age  and  by 
occupation  a  laborer.  He  had  brown  eyes,  dark  hair,  dark  com- 
plexion and  was  5  feet  2  inches  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at 
Camp  Grant,  111.,  this  5th  day  of  June,  1919.  Fred  E.  Haines,  Major 
131st  Infantry,  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name :  Clarence  S.  Ryan.  Grade :  Wagoner.  Enlisted  111.  N.  G. 
Aug.  27,  1917,  at  East  Alton,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at 
date  of  discharge.  Prior  service  :  None.  Non-commissioned  officer : 
Never,  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating :  Not  qualified. 
Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes, 
expeditions :  Somme  Offensive  8-8-18  to  8-20-18 ;  Meuse-Argonne 
9-26-18  to  10-14-18;  Army  of  Occupation  12-15-18  to  4-28-19. 
Knowledge  of  any  vocation :  Laborer.  Wounds  received  in  service : 
None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged :  Good.  Typhoid 
prophylaxis  completed :  March  18,  1918.  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis 
completed  March  18,  1918.  Married  or  single  :  Single.  Character : 
Excellent.  Remarks :  Entitled  to  travel  pay.  Decorations,  medals, 
badges,  citations :  None.  Signature  of  soldier :  Clarence  S.  Ryan. 
Nathan  J.  Harkness,  Captain  131st  Infantry  Command  Sup.  Co., 
Camp  Grant,  111.,  June  4,  1919.  Paid  in  full  $98.97,  including  bonus 
of  $60.00,  Act  of  Feb.  24,  1919.  S.  H.  Francis,  Captain  Quartermaster 
Corps. 


EDWARD  BANGERT 


Edward  Bangert,  son  of  Henry  and  Emma  Bangert,  was  born  in 
Fort  Russell  Township,  Dec.  18,  1892.  He  received  his  education  at 
Oak  Grove  school,  four  miles  south  of  Bethalto,  completing  the 
Seventh  grade.  He  worked  on  his  father's  farm  and  neighbors' 
farms  until  the  time  for  registration,  June  5,  1917. 

He  was  called  to  the  colors  Sept.  19,  1917,  and  left  Edwardsville 
for  Camp  Taylor  at  8  a.  m.  September  20th,  reaching  Camp  Taylor  at 
10  o'clock  at  night.  He  was  placed  in  Co.  B  of  the  333rd  Infantry, 
and  remained  in  this  company  and  at  Camp  Taylor  until  the  5th  of 
April,  when  he  was  sent  to  Camp  Logan,  Texas,  and  there  he  was 
placed  in  Co.  E,  132nd  Infantry.  George  Bowman  and  Gus  Bangert, 
Ed's  cousin,  were  put  in  the  same  company  and  consequently  shared 
the  treatment  and  in  many  instances  did  the  same  work.  They  re- 
ceived more  intensive  training  at  Camp  Logan  than  at  Camp  Taylor, 

166 


but  they  did  not  remain  long  at  Camp  Logan,  for  on  May  5th  the  com- 
pany left  for  Camp  Upton,  N.  Y.,  where  they  were  to  be  equipped  for 
overseas  duty. 

After  being  equipped  they  went  on  board  the  Mount  Vernon  on 
the  15th  of  May  and  set  sail  on  the  16th  in  a  convoy  of  five.  The 
Mount  Vernon,  a  German  interned  liner,  was  manned  by  an  American 
crew  and  rationed  by  the  American  government,  and  consequently  the 
food  was  clean  and  good.  There  was  no  trouble  on  the  way  and  all 
the  ships  arrived  at  Brest  on  the  24th  of  May.  They  were  sent  to 
Napoleon  Barracks,  where  the  boys  put  up  their  "pup"  tents  for  the 
night,  then  hiked  back  to  Brest  where  they  were  loaded  on  French 
box  cars  to  be  sent  farther  inland,  for  Brest  camp  was  too  small  at 
this  time  to  accommodate  many  at  the  same  time.  They  had  re- 
ceived their  helmets  and  hobnails  at  Camp  Upton,  N.  Y.,  and  were 
ready  to  travel  at  a  moment's  notice. 

They  rode  two  days  and  three  nights  to  Oisemont,  and  hiked  to 
Allory,  where  they  remained  a  week  to  receive  training  and  drilling 
of  the  English  variety  although  under  American  officers.  Then 
they  hiked  for  two  days  to  Gerville,  where  they  drew  British  rifles, 
bayonets  and  gas  masks.  Here  they  received  their  first  gas  mask 
drills,     and  this    was     under    the    instruction     of     British     officers. 

They  remained  there  a  little  more  than  a  week  and  were  then 
loaded  on  trucks  to  Molines  Woods.  Molines  Woods  had  never  been 
in  the  hands  of  the  Germans,  but  bombs  were  continually  dropped  day 
and  night  by  aeroplanes.  Here  Ed.  received  his  first  experience  at 
digging  in  and  since  the  work  was  real  and  in  earnest  the  work  was 
easily  learned  and  soon  accomplished.  It  was  not  necessary  for  the 
officers  to  issue  a  hurry  call  for  the  enemy  planes  reminded  them  con- 
stantly to  complete  their  task  in  as  short  a  space  of  time  as  possible. 

They  remained  at  Molines  Woods  until  the  middle  of  August,  and 
while  here  George  Bowman  caught  up  with  his  company,  and  Ed.'s 
and  George's  history  will  for  a  while  be  identical  for  George  had  been 
with  them  more  than  a  month  before  they  left  Molines  Woods. 
Molines  Woods  was  about  six  miles  from  the  front  lines  and  the  132nd 
was  in  reserve.  They  were  near  enough  to  hear  the  cannon  roar. 
They  were  attached  to  the  British  forces  and  while  in  reserve  they 
went  through  a  period  of  intensive  drilling. 

On  July  4th  Companies  A  and  G  went  over  the  top  and  Company 
E  was  held  in  reserve.  They  penetrated  Hamel  Woods,  and  the  Brit- 
ish, Australians  and  American  troops  mingled  in  the  fight.  They 
were  between  Albert  and  Amiens,  crossing  the  wide  road  that  lay  be- 
tween these  cities. 

167 


After  A  and  G  companies  had  gained  their  objective  by  going  over 
the  top  on  July  4th,  they  came  in  possession  of  Hamel  Woods  and 
Vaire  Woods.  It  seems  these  regiments  were  principally  used  as 
shock  troops,  (to  take  that  which  others  were  unable  to  do).  This 
attack  by  these  nationalities  combined  under  the  protection  of  a  creep- 
ing artillery  barrage  will  be  described  elsewhere  in  this  history,  for  Ed. 
was  not  connected  with  this,  only  that  his  company  was  in  reserve  at 
this  place. 

They  remained  in  Hamel  three  days,  then  went  back  to  Molines 
Woods,  about  eight  miles  away.  The  division  as  a  whole  was  not 
holding  the  line  but  they  were  connected  with  the  British  and  rationed 
by  the  British  Government.  The  fighting  during  July  was  fierce; 
Albert  was  taken  and  retaken  three  times  and  the  city  was  practically 
destroyed  by  the  British. 

On  August  6th  the  Americans  relieved  the  British  and  they  took 
care  of  the  line  at  Albert,  expecting  at  any  time  to  witness  another 
drive,  but  it  never  came.  After  the  British  left  the  place  they  held 
the  lines  until  August  11th,  supporting  the  Australians.  It  can  be 
stated  here  as  witnessed  by  others  that  the  Australians  were  noble 
fellows,  sincere  and  excellent  fighters  and  therefore  a  word  of  praise 
should  be  given  when  it  is  deserved.  The  132nd  held  the  line  around 
Longeau  until  the  24th  of  August,  when  they  were  taken  back  to  a  rail- 
road station  in  trucks  and  were  sent  to  the  American  sector  west  of 
Verdun.  They  had  guarded  No  Man's  Land  and  were  now  at  a  place 
many  miles  east,  where  the  enemy  was  still  well  intrenched.  They 
reached  Culey  on  the  26th  of  August  and  became  part  of  the  American 
Army  who  would  from  now  on  fight  as  a  unit. 

While  they  traveled  eastward  from  Longeau  to  the  Verdun  front 
they  saw  much  devastated  territory ;  for  the  Germans  had  by  this  time 
evacuated  a  large  part  of  this  territory.  They  were  attached  to  the 
French  Second  Army  and  were  given  the  front  line  trenches  of  the 
famous  battlefields  of  Dead  Man's  Hill,  a  place  that  had  seen  much 
fighting;  a  place  where  the  French  had  sacrificed  500,000  of  their 
noble  sons  to  save  France,  and  the  Germans  an  equal  number  in  trying 
to  gain  an  objective  in  which  they  were  disastrously  unsuccessful. 

They  remained  there  until  the  morning  of  the  26th  of  September, 
when  orders  came  to  make  the  first  advance  as  an  American  unit.  The 
river  Forges  was  to  be  crossed  and  beyond  this  was  Bois  De  Forges  or 
Forges  Woods.  The  river  Forges  was  something  like  a  swamp  through 
which  the  boys  had  to  go;  it  was  about  waist  deep  excepting  when 
here  or  there  a  shell  hole  had  been  made  and  the  water  much  deeper. 
The  second  battalion  went  through  and  the  third  was  in  support.    The 

168 


French  thought  it  could  not  be  accomplished  for  the  river  Forges, 
the  barbed  wire  entanglements  and  other  obstructions  had  been  im- 
proved upon  to  a  great  extent  for  the  last  three  years,  and  the  machine 
gun  nests  on  the  edge  of  Forges  Woo(Js  made  the  hopover  quite  im- 
possible. At  5:15  in  the  morning  the  order  was  given  to  go  through 
the  swamp,  two  companies  in  line  and  two  in  support.  The  130th 
was  in  support  of  the  132nd  and  the  129th  was  in  support  of  the 
131st.  Displaying  courage  that  could  hardly  be  equaled  in  the  an- 
nals of  warfare,  they  went  through  carrying  boards  so  that  a  bridge 
could  be  constructed.  They  waded  knee  deep  through  the  mud  and 
were  continually  under  shell  fire,  but  the  fire  of  the  enemy  was  too 
high  and  the  advance  to  and  across  the  river  was  made  without  any 
casualties. 

They  reached  the  edge  of  the  Woods  at  6:30  a.  m.  and  the  ad- 
vance continued.  The  surprise  was  complete.  The  operation  was 
successful;  the  enemy  lost  heavily  and  800  prisoners  were  taken  be- 
sides four  6-inch  howitzers,  10  field  pieces,  10  trench  mortars,  190 
machine  guns,  large  quantities  of  ammunition  and  much  material. 
One  ofticer  and  15  men  were  killed  and  72  men  were  wounded.  Dress- 
ing stations  were  established  and  the  wounded  were  taken  care  of. 
The  hill,  which  was  part  of  304  or  Dead  Man's  Hill,  was  made,  and 
through  the  woods  they  went  until  they  reached  the  Meuse  River. 
They  had  advanced  about  four  miles  on  schedule  time.  They  held 
the  left  bank  of  the  Meuse  and  remained  there  until  the  4th  of  October. 
They  were  then  taken  back  to  support  the  lines  until  the  8th,  hiding  in 
dugouts. 

On  October  the  7th  they  built  a  bridge  across  the  Meuse  in  the 
night.  The  river  there  was  120  feet  wide  and  16  feet  deep,  which 
they  crossed  on  the  8th.  This  was  the  second  hop  over  and  the 
casualties  were  light  in  comparison  to  what  had  been  gained.  They 
took  the  town  of  Consenvoye  by  surprise  and  took  a  number  of  prison- 
ers who  were  sent  to  the  rear.  They  went  through  Chaume  Woods 
and  Consenvoye  Woods  and  kept  on  advancing  until  the  evening  of 
the  8th.  They  started  to  dig  themselves  in,  but  after  6  o'clock  on  they 
went.  This  was  too  much,  for  they  had  had  no  breakfast,  no  dinner, 
no  supper  and  now  another  advance  drive  that  night,  but  the  edge  of 
the  Argonne  Forest  had  been  reached  and  the  enemy  was  being  driven 
into  the  Woods.  Three  advances  had  been  made  in  two  days,  and  the 
fourth  drive  which  commenced  on  the  morning  of  that  memorable  9th 
brought  the  fighting  in  the  open  where  there  were  no  trenches  and 
everything  was  man  to  man  encounters  that  no  human  mind  can 
comprehend. 

169 


At  the  Chaume  Woods  near  Consenvoye,  on  October  9th,  1918, 
the  final  point  was  reached,  but  the  enemy  made  three  fierce  counter 
attacks.  These,  as  may  be  expected,  were  of  a  nature  that  caused  the 
132nd  to  lose  heavily.  The  men  started  for  shelter  when  these 
attacks  came  from  three  sides.  The  fighting  was  close,  men  were 
falling  everywhere,  the  132nd  was  losing  most  of  their  men,  but  they 
remained  all  day,  receiving  three  counter  attacks  that  day. 

We  leave  the  boys  in  this  story,  fighting  and  holding  on  to  the 
last;  we  continue  this  story  in  some  other  description  for  Ed.  leaves 
the  boys  and  cannot  witness  any  more  of  this  carnage ;  for  in  the  first 
counter  attack,  when  the  boys  lay  down  flat  on  the  ground,  Ed.  was 
wounded.  Explosive  bullets  had  been  fired  all  around  him  and  ex- 
ploded everywhere.  Ed.  was  shot  in  the  upper  arm,  a  bullet  grazed 
his  shoulder,  his  fingers  were  almost  shot  off  his  right  hand  and 
splinters  flew  into  his  mouth  knocking  out  a  tooth  and  breaking  others, 
cutting  open  his  gum  and  getting  several  splinters  of  shell  in  his 
tongue. 

Seeing  the  boys  falling  all  around  him,  and  knowing  that  he  could 
fight  no  more  for  the  present,  Ed.,  although  dazed,  went  to  the  rear, 
for  it  was  either  that  or  be  taken  prisoner.  All  but  two  in  Ed's  squad 
were  either  killed  or  wounded.  Ed.  left  by  crawling  back  of  the  lines 
to  Battalion  Headquarters  where  the  adjutant  treated  his  wounds.  As 
soon  as  his  wounds  were  treated  he  walked  and  crawled  to  Consen- 
voye, three  miles  away,  where  there  was  another  station  to  dress 
wounds,  although  Consenvoye  was  still  under  fire.  At  Consenvoye 
the  doctors  looked  over  his  wounds,  took  his  name  and  his  company, 
and  described  his  wounds,  but  gave  him  no  further  treatment.  Pity 
for  the  poor  soldier  who  was  wounded  and  unable  to  walk  or  crawl, 
for  the  ambulances  could  get  no  nearer,  and  many  a  poor  boy  lost  his 
life  for  the  want  of  care,  and  it  was  several  days  before  some  could 
be  picked  up  and  then  probably  too  late. 

There  was  no  chance  whatever  for  ambulances  to  come  nearer  for 
there  was  no  such  a  thing  as  a  road,  wires  stretched  everywhere,  shell 
holes  and  every  obstruction  such  as  fallen  trees,  etc.,  that  would  check 
the  ambulances  from  coming  nearer.  From  Consenvoye  Ed.  walked 
three  miles  to  where  the  ambulances  were  and  he  was  taken  to  a  tent 
hospital;  they  looked  over  his  wounds  and  then  put  him  in  another 
ambulance  and  he  was  taken  to  Sailly,  another  hospital  far  back  of 
the  lines.  Here  his  wounds  were  properly. treated  and  his  teeth  fixed 
for  they  had  up  to  this  time  not  been  touched.  He  remained  in  Sailly 
one  night  and  was  then  taken  to  AUery  Base  Hospital  56. 


170 


At  Allery  his  wounds  were  treated  again.  After  complaining 
about  the  condition  of  his  tongue  the  doctor  told  him  it  was  getting 
too  dark  to  do  anything  for  him,  so  the  nurse  told  him  if  there  was 
anything  in  his  tongue  she  would  pull  it  out  if  he  would  let  her.  He 
told  her  to  go  to  it,  and  although  the  splinters  from  an  explosive 
bullet  had  been  in  his  tongue  five  days  and  his  tongue  swollen,  she 
succeeded  in  pulling  one  piece  out  and  there  is  at  this  writing  another 
piece  in  his  tongue  which  the  nurse  failed  to  detect. 

He  remained  at  this  hospital  until  the  20th  of  December,  when 
he  was  sent  to  Merc  Luxemburg.  From  there  they  hiked  to  Em- 
bringen  about  twelve  miles  away.  Here  he  met  George  Bowman 
whom  he  had  not  seen  since  the  9th  of  October,  and  of  whom  he  had 
heard  nothing  since  he  left  him.  We  can  imagine  the  meeting  was 
a  happy  one.  Ed.  and  George  were  now  together  and  their  story  runs 
pretty  much  the  same.  They  remained  in  Luxemburg  until  the  25th 
of  April,  1919.  They  were  received  by  General  Pershing  and  Secre- 
tary Baker  on  the  22nd  of  April. 

On  the  25th  they  left  Luxemburg,  reaching  Brest  on  the  29th. 
They  boarded  the  ship  Mount  Vernon,  the  same  ship  Ed.  had  crossed 
on  before.  They  set  sail  on  the  8th  of  May ;  the  voyage  was  fine, 
only  two  stormy  days  and  no  seasickness  for  Ed.  He  had  good  com- 
pany on  the  way  back,  for  his  pal,  George  Bowman,  his  cousin  Gus 
Bangert,  and  his  friends,  George  Smith  and  Gus  Memkin,  were  with 
him  and  the  trip  was  a  pleasant  one. 

They  landed  at  Hoboken  on  the  16th  day  of  May  and  unloaded  on 
the  17th  ;  went  at  once  to  Camp  Mills  and  from  there  to  Chicago  where 
they  paraded  on  the  27th,  for  the  132nd  were  mostly  Illinois  men. 
That  night  they  went  to  Camp  Grant,  from  where  Ed.  was  discharged 
on  the  31st  day  of  May,  reaching  home  on  the  first  of  June,  Sunday 
morning. 

Following  is  his  discharge  and  enlistment  record: 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 
To  all  whom  it  may  concern:  This  is  to  certify  that  Edward 
Bangert,  1975963,  Pvt.  Co.  E,  132nd  Infantry,  the  United  States  Army, 
as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby  honorably 
discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States,  by  reason 
of  per  Cir.  No.  106,  convenience  of  Govt.,  W.  D.  1918.  Said  Edward 
Bangert  was  born  in  Fort  Russell  Township,  in  the  State  of  Illinois ; 
when  enlisted  he  was  24  years  of  age  and  by  occupation  a  farmer.  He 
had  blue  eyes,  dark  hair,  dark  complexion,  and  was  5  feet  10  inches 
in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp  Grant,  111.,  this  31st  day 
of  May,  1919.      Paul  C.  Gale,  Major  Inf.,  U.  S.  A.,  Commanding. 

171 


ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  Edward  Bangert.  Grade:  Private.  Inducted  Sept.  19, 
1917,  at  Edwardsville,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at  date 
of  discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Non-commissioned  officer : 
Never.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating:  Not  rated. 
Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes,  ex- 
peditions :  Argonne-Meuse  Offensive,  9-26-18;  Bois  de  Chaume 
offensive,  10-10-18;  Hamel  attack,  July  4,  1918;  Army  of  Occupation, 
Dec.  12,  1918  to  April  25,  1919.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation :  Farmer. 
Wounds  received  in  service:  G.  S.  W.  Verdun,  10-9-18,  Physical 
condition  when  discharged:  Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed 
10-12-17.  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis  completed  10-12-17.  Married 
or  single:  Single.  Character:  Excellent.  Signature  of  soldier: 
Edward  Bangert.  Charles  E.  Davaum,  1st  Lieut.  161st  D.  B.,  Com- 
manding. Camp  Grant,  111.,  May  30,  1919.  Paid  in  full,  $101.15,  in- 
cluding bonus  of  $60.00,  Act  of  Feb.  24,  1919.  S.  H.  Francis,  Captain 
Quartermaster  Corps. 


GEORGE  BOWMAN 


George  Henry  Bowman,  son  of  Ben  and  Emma  Bowman,  was 
born  on  the  farm  in  Fort  Russell  Township  one  mile  east  of  Bethalto, 
Sept.  25,  1894.  He  attended  the  Bethalto  schools,  completing  the 
Eighth  grade.  When  George  was  15  years  old  the  parents  left  the 
farm  east  of  Bethalto  and  moved  to  a  farm  a  mile  southwest  of 
Bethalto,  thus  putting  him  in  the  Walnut  Grove  District,  where  he 
attended  school  one  year  in  order  to  take  review  work  in  the  Eighth 
grade.  He  worked  on  his  father's  farm  continually,  registering  for 
the  army  in  June,  1917,  and  was  called  to  the  colors  September  19th 
of  the  same  year,  being  one  among  the  first  to  leave  from  this  section. 
He  left  Alton  for  Camp  Taylor,  September  19,  1917,  and  there  he  was 
placed  in  Co.  D,  333rd  Infantry,  At  this  time  the  333rd  was  being 
formed  and  Camp  Taylor  was  near  its  finishing  of  the  main  barracks. 
He  left  Alton  in  company  with  George  Smith  and  Henry  Parker,  of 
East  Alton.  George  remained  in  Co.  D,  333rd,  until  April  5th,  1918, 
when  he  was  placed  in  Co.  E,  132nd  Infantry  of  the  33rd  Division. 
The  object  of  the  change  was  to  put  the  132nd  to  war  strength  for  over- 
seas duty.  He  left  April  5th  for  Camp  Logan,  Houston,  Texas,  to 
fill  up  the  33rd  Division  that  was  short  of  men.  The  33rd  Division 
had  its  headquarters  at  Houston,  Texas. 


172 


They  remained  at  Camp  Logan  for  their  usual  drills.  The  122nd, 
123rd  and  124th  Artillery  was  connected  with  the  Division  and  were 
being  trained  there  at  the  same  time.  The  Division  started  to  move 
on  the  5th  of  May,  but  George  remained  behind  on  account  of  being 
quarantined,  for  there  was  measles  in  camp,  although  George  did  not 
have  it.  The  Division  sailed  on  the  16th  of  May,  but  George  did  not 
follow  until  the  26th  of  May  when  he  was  sent  to  Camp  Merritt. 

He  sailed  on  the  America,  that  had  formerly  been  the  interned 
German  liner  Amerika.  She  was  a  large  ship  and  carried  9,000 
troops,  one  colored  regiment  and  replacements.  There  were  four 
transports  in  the  convoy,  and  they  were  escorted  for  three  days  while 
going  and  three  days  before  entering  the  port  at  Brest,  leaving  the 
convoy  unguarded  for  seven  days.  They  were  on  the  water  13  days, 
had  no  mishaps,  no  trouble,  saw  no  submarines  and  had  fine  weather 
all  the  way.  The  camp  at  Brest  was  just  begun,  and  they  remained 
there  only  one  night  when  they  boarded  French  box  cars  to  St. 
Aignan.  George  was  still  following  his  regiment.  Remaining  at  St. 
Aignan  one  day,  he  again  boarded  the  cars  riding  a  day  and  a  night, 
getting  pretty  far  inland.  He  reached  Eu,  a  rest  camp.  He  re- 
mained at  Eu  but  a  day  and  again  got  on  a  train  to  Canaples.  from 
where  he  hiked  18  miles  to  where  his  division  was  stationed,  reaching 
the  division  the  last  of  June,  1918. 

They  were  by  this  time  stationed  in  Molines  Woods,  about  six 
miles  from  the  front  lines,  and  were  now  in  reserve.  Here  they  could 
hear  the  cannon  roar.  They  were  bombed  by  aeroplanes  nearly  every 
night.  Thus  it  happened  that  George  caught  up  with  the  boys,  hav- 
ing started  to  cross  the  United  States  from  Texas  on  the 
same  day  his  regiment  started  across  France  from  Brest,  May  26. 
The  trip  across  France  by  his  regiment  cannot  be  taken  up  in  this 
story. 

When  George  reached  his  regiment  the  latter  part  of  June  they 
were  attached  to  the  British  forces,  and  they  went  through  a  period  of 
intensive  training.  On  July  4th  Companies  A  and  G  went  over  the 
top  and  Company  E  was  held  in  reserve.  They  penetrated  Hamel 
Woods  and  the  British,  Australians  and  American  troops  mingled  in 
the  fight.  They  were  between  Albert  and  Amiens,  crossing  the  wide 
road  that  lay  between  these  cities.  After  A  and  G  companies  had 
gained  their  objective  by  going  over  on  July  4th  they  came  in 
possession  of  Hamel  Woods  and  Vaire  Woods.  This  attack  by  the 
three  nationalities  combined  under  the  protection  of  a  creeping  artil- 


173 


lery  barrage  will  be  described  elsewhere  in  this  history,  for  George 
was  not  connected  with  this  only  that  his  company  was  in  reserve  at 
this  place. 

They  remained  in  Hamel  three  days,  then  went  back  to  Molines 
Woods,  about  8  miles  away.  The  Division  as  a  whole  was  not  hold- 
ing the  line,  but  they  were  connected  with  the  British  and  rationed  by 
the  British  Government.  The  fighting  during  July  was  fierce ;  Albert 
was  taken  and  retaken  three  times  and  the  city  was  practically  de- 
stroyed by  the  British.  On  August  6th  the  Americans  relieved  the 
British  and  they  took  care  of  the  line  at  Albert,  expecting  at  any  time 
to  witness  another  drive  that  never  came.  After  the  British  left  the 
place  they  held  the  lines  until  August  11th,  supporting  the  Australians. 
It  can  be  stated  here  as  witnessed  by  others  that  the  Australians  were 
noble  fellows,  sincere  and  excellent  fighters  and  therefore  a  word  of 
praise  should  be  given  when  it  is  deserved.  The  132nd  held  the 
line  around  Longeau  until  the  24th  of  August,  when  they  were  taken 
back  to  a  railroad  station  in  trucks  and  were  sent  to  the  American 
Sector  west  of  Verdun.  They  had  guarded  No  Man's  Land  and  were 
now  at  a  place  many  miles  east,  where  the  enemy  was  still  well  in- 
trenched. 

They  reached  Culey  on  the  26th  of  August  and  became  part  of  the 
American  Army  who  would  from  now  on  fight  as  a  unit.  While  they 
traveled  east  from  Longeau  to  the  Verdun  front  they  saw  much  de- 
vastated territory,  for  the  Germans  had  by  this  time  evacuated  a  large 
part  of  this  country.  They  were  attached  to  the  French  Second 
Army  and  were  given  the  front  line  trenches  of  the  famous  battle- 
fields of  Dead  Man's  Hill ;  a  place  that  had  seen  much  fighting,  a  place 
where  the  French  had  sacrificed  500.000  of  their  noble  sons  to  save 
France  and  the  Germans  an  equal  number  in  trying  to  gain  an  objec- 
tive in  which  they  were  disastrously  unsuccessful. 

They  remained  there  until  the  morning  of  the  26th  of  Septem- 
ber, when  orders  came  to  make  the  first  advance  as  an  American  unit. 
The  river  Forges  was  to  be  crossed  and  beyond  this  was  Bois  De 
Forges  or  Forges  Woods.  The  river  Forges  was  something  like  a 
swamp  through  which  the  boys  had  to  go ;  it  was  about  waist  deep 
excepting  where  here  or  there  a  shell  hole  had  been  made  and  was 
full  of  water. 

The  second  battalion  went  through  and  the  third  was  in  support. 
The  French  thought  it  could  not  be  accomplished,  for  the  river  Forges, 
the  barbed  wire  entanglements  and  other  obstructions  had  been  im- 
proved on  both  sides  for  the  past  three  years  and  the  machine  gun 
nests  on  the  edge  of  Forges  Woods  made  the  hop    over    quite    im- 

174 


possible.  At  5:15  in  the  morning  the  order  was  given  to  go  through 
the  swamp ;  two  companies  in  line  and  two  in  support.  Displaying 
courage  that  could  hardly  be  equalled  in  the  annals  of  warfare  they 
went  through  carrying  boards  so  that  a  bridge  could  be  constructed. 
They  waded  knee  deep  through  the  mud,  and  were  continually  under 
shell  fire,  but  the  fire  of  the  enemy  was  too  high  and  the  advance  to 
and  across  the  river  was  made  without  any  casualties.  They  reached 
the  edge  of  the  Wood  at  6  :30  a.  m.  and  the  advance  continued.  The 
surprise  was  complete.  The  operation  was  successful,  the  enemy 
lost  heavily  and  800  prisoners  were  taken  besides  four  6-inch  Howitz- 
ers, 10  field  pieces,  10  trench  mortars,  109  machine  guns,  large 
quantities  of  ammunition  and  much  material.  One  ofificer  and  15  men 
were  killed  and  75  men  were  wounded.  Dressing  stations  were  estab- 
lished and  the  wounded  were  taken  care  of. 

The  hill  was  made,  this  being  part  of  Dead  Man's  Hill  304 ;  and 
through  the  woods  they  went  until  they  reached  the  Meuse  River. 
They  had  advanced  about  four  miles  on  schedule  time.  They  held 
the  left  bank  of  the  Meuse  River  and  remained  there  until  the  4th  of 
October.  They  were  then  taken  back  to  support  the  lines  until  the 
8th,  hiding  in  dug-outs. 

On  October  the  7th  they  built  a  bridge  across  the  Meuse  in  the 
night.  The  river  there  was  120  feet  wide  and  16  feet  deep,  which 
they  crossed  on  the  8th.  This  was  the  second  hop  over  and  the 
casualties  were  light  in  comparison  to  what  had  been  gained.  They 
took  the  town  of  Consenvoye  by  surprise  and  took  a  number  of  prison- 
ers who  were  sent  to  the  rear.  They  went  through  Bois  de  Chaume 
and  Consenvoye  Woods  and  kept  on  advancing  until  the  evening  of 
the  8th.  They  started  to  dig  themselves  in  but  after  6  o'clock  on 
they  went.  This  was  awful  for  they  had  had  no  breakfast,  no  dinner, 
no  supper  and  now  another  advance  drive  that  night ;  but  the  edge 
of  the  Argonne  Forest  had  been  reached  and  the  enemy  was  being 
driven  far  into  the  Argonne  Forest.  Three  advances  had  been  made 
in  two  days  and  the  fourth  drive  which  commenced  on  the  morning 
of  that  memorable  9th  brought  the  fighting  in  the  open  where  there 
v,-ere  no  trenches  and  everything  was  man  to  man  encounters  that  no 
human  mind  can  comprehend. 

At  Bois  De  Chaume,  near  Consenvoye,  on  October  9th,  1918,  the 
final  point  was  reached,  but  the  enemy  made  three  counter  attacks. 
These  as  may  be  expected  were  of  the  fiercest  kind  and  the  132nd 
lost  heavily.  George  and  one  other  were  all  that  was  left  in  his 
squad.  The  other  squads  fared  the  same.  Every  officer  was  either 
killed  or  wounded.      The  story  cannot  be  completely  told  here.    Ed. 

175 


Bangert  who  was  in  George's  squad  was  wounded  in  one  of  these 
counter  attacks  and  went  back  to  keep  from  being  taken  prisoner. 
Many  officers  and  men  were  cited  for  bravery.  The  coolness  of  some 
of  our  men  is  explained  in  the  following  story :  While  the  company 
advanced  through  the  woods  Ed.  Bangert  and  another  soldier  had 
rooted  out  a  machine  gun  nest  and  had  found  a  box  of  cigars  and 
some  cigarettes.  Ed.  got  the  cigars  and  distributed  as  many  as  he 
could  among  the  boys.  The  other  soldier  got  the  cigarettes.  Later 
on  when  the  Germans  made  a  fierce  counter  attack  Ed.  called  to 
George  that  they  had  got  him.  George  looked  up  and  saw  that  Ed. 
had  been  shot  in  the  side,  his  fingers  were  hanging  limp  and  bleeding 
on  his  right  hand  and  blood  was  oozing  out  of  his  mouth.  Ed.  said 
to  George:  Here  is  a  handful  of  cigars;  take  them  and  smoke  them 
for  my  sake,  for  I  am  going  to  quit  smoking  awhile ;  and  pitching  the 
cigars  to  George  took  to  his  heels  and  in  spite  of  his  wounds  and 
bullets  flying  around  made  his  getaway. 

It  was  here  and  on  this  date,  and  in  one  of  these  attacks,  that 
Charles  E.  Maguire  of  Alton,  Co.  I,  was  killed.  He  was  buried  at 
Binarville,  Meuse.  The  boys  of  the  132nd  who  were  still  unhurt 
would  have  fought  on,  but  their  ammunition  had  run  out  and  they 
picked  from  their  dead  and  wounded  comrades  all  the  shells  that 
could  be  found  and  when  all  this  was  gone  it  was  time  to  retreat ;  and 
although  many  Germans  were  killed  or  taken  prisoner  the  132nd  lost 
more  than  70  per  cent  of  their  number.  The  scene  was  awful  and 
cannot  be  described ;  there  was  no  time  for  pity  although  the  heart- 
rending cries  that  came  from  the  enemy  as  they  were  being  mowed 
down  by  our  boys  with  their  automatic  rifles  was  indeed  pitiful  to 
behold.  George  went  through  all  this  unhurt.  His  captain  was 
wounded  in  Forges  Woods  and  his  lieutenant  was  wounded  while  try- 
ing to  ward  off  the  second  counter  attack. 

When  the  stretcher  bearers  rushed  to  his  side  ready  to  take  him 
to  the  rear  he  ordered  them  away  saying,  "I  can  take  care  of  myself ; 
look  after  these  other  soldiers  who  are  in  worse  shape  than  I  am." 
This  brave  lieutenant  was  taken  prisoner  in  his  disabled  condition  and 
was  transferred  later  from  the  German  hospital  to  an  American  hos- 
pital, where  he  died  from  wounds  received  in  battle. 

They  were  relieved  by  the  131st,  for  they  did  not  have  enough 
men  left  to  make  another  advance  and  there  was  no  one  left  to  give 
orders.  The  132nd  had  been  filled  to  the  proper  strength  twice  since 
the  first  of  October  and  the  9th  of  October  reduced  them  to  such  an 


176 


extent  that  they  were  sent  to  the  St.  Mihiel  front,  30  miles  southwest 
of  Metz.  This  was  a  period  of  45  days  that  will  remain  a  separate 
part  in  George's  life  history. 

While  going  to  the  Troyan  sector  on  the  St.  Mihiel  front  George 
met  Charles  Neunaber,  who  gave  him  paper  to  write  home  for  he  had 
nothing  left  to  write  on.  This  welcome  missive  was  received  by  the 
parents  after  the  armistice  was  signed.  They  reached  the  Troyan 
sector  on  the  24th  of  October  and  held  the  lines  until  the  armistice 
was  signed  and  remained  there  until  the  7th  of  December  when  they 
started  to  hike  into  Germany.  They  got  a  short  way  into  Germany 
when  they  were  sent  back  into  Luxemburg.  They  remained  in 
Luxemburg  until  the  25th  of  April,  1919.  They  were  reviewed  by 
General  Pershing  and  Secretary  Baker  on  the  22nd  of  April. 

On  the  25th  of  January  George  received  a  furlough  and  he  went 
to  Aix  Les  Bains,  one  of  the  leave  areas  in  southern  France  near  the 
Switzerland  border,  and  remained  there  until  the  15th  of  February. 
They  started  through  France  for  home  on  the  25th  of  April,  reach- 
ing Brest  on  the  29th.  He  boarded  the  ship  Mount  Vernon  on  the 
7th  of  May  and  started  to  sail  the  next  day.  The  Mount  Vernon 
had  formerly  been  the  Crown  Princess  Cecelia.  The  voyage  was 
fine,  they  had  only  two  stormy  days  and  no  seasickness  developed- 
Ed.  Bangert,  Gus  Bangert,  Gus  Memken  and  George  Smith  were  on 
the  boat  with  George  Bowman,  making  the  voyage  a  pleasant  one. 
They  landed  at  Hoboken  on  the  16th  of  May  and  unloaded  on  the 
17th,  went  at  once  to  Camp  Mills  and  from  there  to  Chicago  where 
they  paraded  on  the  27th,  for  the  130th  and  the  132nd  were  mostly 
Illinois  men.  That  night  they  went  to  Camp  Grant  from  where  he 
was  discharged  on  the  31st  of  May  reaching  home  June  1st,  Sunday 
morning. 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  George  H. 
Bowman,  No.  1976152,  Corporal  Co.  E,  132nd  Infantry,  the  United 
States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service  is  hereby 
honorably  discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States 
by  reason  of  convenience  of  the  government.  Per  circular  106  War 
Dept.  Said  George  H.  Bowman  was  born  in  Bethalto  in  the  State 
of  Illinois.  When  enlisted  he  was  22  11-12  years  of  age  and  by  occu- 
pation a  farmer.  He  had  brown  eyes,  dark  brown  hair,  fair  com- 
plexion and  was  5  feet  9  1-2  inches  in  height.  Given  under  my 
hand  at  Camp  Grant,  Illinois,  this  31st  day  of  May,  1919.  Paul  C. 
Gale,  Major  Inf.,  U.  S.  A.,  Commanding. 

177 


ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  George  H.  Bowman.  Grade:  Corporal.  Inducted 
9-19-1917  at  Alton,  Illinois,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at  date 
of  discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Non-commissioned  officer : 
Corporal  Nov.  22,  1918.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or 
rating :  Not  rated.  Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engage- 
ments, skirmishes,  expeditions  :  Meuse-Argonne  Offensive,  Sept.  26, 
1918.  Amiens,  Hamel,  July  4,  1918,  St.  Mihiel  Nov.  7-11-1918. 
Knowledge  of  any  vocation :  Machinist.  Wounds  received  in 
service :  None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged :  Good.  Ty- 
phoid prophylaxis  completed  10-12-17.  Married  or  single:  Single. 
Character:  Excellent.  Signature  of  soldier:  George  H.  Bowman. 
Chas  E.  Davanum,  1st  Lieut.  Inf.  161st  D.  B.  Camp  Grant,  111.,  May 
31st,  1919.  Paid  in  full  S107.03,  including  bonus  of  S60.00  Act  of 
Feb.  24,  1919.      S.  H.  Francis,  Captain  Quartermaster  Corps. 


GEORGE  F.  SMITH,  JR. 


George  Franklin  Smith,  son  of  George  and  Tena  Smith,  was  born 
in  East  Alton,  111.,  March  13th,  1894.  He  attended  the  East  Alton 
school,  completing  the  Eighth  grade,  and  then  w^ent  to  Alton  High 
school  completing  the  course  there.  After  his  school  years  George 
helped  his  father  on  the  farm.  The  parents  moved  to  their  newly- 
purchased  home  on  the  Bethalto  road  about  four  miles  southwest  of 
Bethalto.  He  continued  to  work  on  his  parents'  farm  until  June, 
1917,  when  he  registered  for  the  service.  The  following  August  he 
tried  to  enlist  in  the  Navy  but  was  rejected  on  account  of  physical 
disability.  He  preferred  the  navy  and  seeing  that  they  rejected  him 
there,  he  resolved  to  wait  until  he  was  called.  This  call  came  shortly 
afterward,  for  he  left  with  the  Alton  contingent  on  the  19th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1917,  and  headed  straight  for  Camp  Taylor.  He  went  with 
Henry  Parker  of  East  Alton  and  George  Bowman  of  Bethalto. 

At  Camp  Taylor  George  was  placed  in  Co.  D,  333rd  Infantry. 
At  this  time  the  333rd  of  the  84th  Division  was  being  formed  at 
Camp  Taylor  and  the  main  barracks  w'ere  just  being  finished  when  the 
boys  arrived.  George  remained  in  Co.  D,  333rd,  until  the  5th  of 
April  when  he  was  placed  in  Co.  I,  132nd  Infantry,  33rd  Division. 
The  object  of  the  change  was  to  put  the  33rd  Division  to  war  strength 
for  overseas  duty.  The  33rd  Division  was  located  at  Camp  Logan, 
Houston,  Texas.  Here  George  was  sent  on  the  5th  of  April,  1918. 
Here  they  had  their  usual  line  of  drilling;  but  they  had  not  long  to 

178 


remain  at  Camp  Logan,  for  a  month  from  the  time  George  left  Camp 
Taylor  he  was  leaving  Camp  Logan;  thus  his  moving  began  in  earnest 
and  it  will  be  learned  later  in  this  story  that  this  was  by  no  means  his 
last  move.  He  left  with  the  Division  on  the  5th  of  May  for  Camp 
Upton,  N.  Y.  He  was  on  the  train  five  days  and  at  Camp  Upton 
four  days ;  during  this  time  he  was  equipped  with  overseas  clothing. 

He  sailed  on  the  16th  of  Mav  on  the  Mount  Vernon,  which  had 
formerly  been  the  Crown  Princess  Cecelia ;  she  had  6,000  soldiers  on 
board  and  she  and  her  sister  ship  Agamemnon  made  up  the  convoy. 
The  two  ships  had  a  pleasant  voyage,  no  mishaps,  and  they  anchored 
safely  at  Brest  on  the  24th  of  May  and  stepped  on  French  soil  on 
the  26th  the  same  day  George  Bowman  stepped  on  the  train  at  Hous- 
ton, Texas.  George  Bowman  had  been  detained  awhile  on  account 
of  measles  in  the  camp.  They  went  at  once  to  Pontenesen  Barracks, 
a  little  beyond  the  Old  Napoleon  Barracks.  This  camp,  which  was 
later  known  as  the  famous  mud  camp,  was  now  the  famous  dust  camp. 
George  never  saw  dust  so  deep.  They  pitched  their  little  "pup" 
tents  in  a  pasture  amongst  dust,  dirt  and  drouth.  They  left  camp  on 
Decoration  Day  for  somewhere  in  France  in  the  famous  box  cars  with 
which  every  American  soldier  who  has  seen  France  is  painfully 
familiar. 

The  rations,  although  American,  while  on  the  boat  were  poor ; 
it  was  fairly  clean,  but  it  had  no  taste ;  they  were  not  fixed  to  feed 
so  many  men.  The  bread  got  mouldy  and  overboard  it  went,  and 
from  then  on  it  was  hard  tack,  boiled  potatoes  and  stew.  In  the  box 
cars  it  was  the  same,  minus  the  potatoes  and  stew ;  but  they  were 
traveling  and  new  scenery  brought  new  thoughts ;  besides  they  rode 
only  three  days  and  two  nights  with  but  32  men  in  a  car  of  a  possible 
capacity  of  40. 

They  unloaded  at  Oisemont  and  hiked  from  there  to  Matigny, 
near  Gamaches,  where  their  headquarters  was  stationed,  and  billeted 
in  barns,  sheds,  etc.  On  June  3rd  they  started  training  under  the 
English,  who  showed  them  their  methods  of  bayonet  fighting  and  gas 
drills.  On  the  night  of  the  4th  of  June  they  received  the  first  thrill 
in  air  bombing.  They  practiced  until  the  10th  of  June  when  again 
they  were  on  the  move  from  Matigny  for  a  12-mile  hike  with  extra 
light  breakfast  and  they  resumed  their  forward  movement  of  another 
eight  miles  until  they  reached  Bazinval.  Here  George  experienced 
the  first  real  pangs  of  hunger ;  they  received  one  thin  slice  of  bacon 
and  one  thin  piece  of  hard  tack,  but  there  was  one  consolation,  namely, 
they  noticed  that  the  English  soldiers  were  hungry  too,  and  they  also 
saw  that  the  officers  had  good  eats  and  plenty  of  it. 

179 


They  had  extremely  cool  nights,  copious  rains  and  well  ventil- 
ated sheds  during  their  stay  at  Bazinval,  which  lasted  until  June  24th, 
when  they  left  again,  this  time  in  trucks  for  Molines  Woods.  Here 
they  were  taught  how  to  act  during  a  barrage,  shell  fire  and  like 
bombing.  On  the  28th  of  June  while  in  the  third  line  they  saw^  the 
first  artillery  fire. 

On  the  4th  of  July,  Cos.  A,  G,  M  and  L  went  over  the  top  and 
lost  several  lives,  among  whom  was  Harry  Inglehart,  of  Alton.  Cos. 
E  and  I  were  in  reserve.  They  were  near  the  city  of  Albert  and 
about  8  miles  from  the  fighting.  They  were  at  Molines  Woods  from 
the  24th  of  June  until  the  6th  of  August.  They  moved  to  Round 
Woods  about  two  miles  away,  remained  one  day  and  then  went  to 
Dournacourt,  where  they  held  the  first  line  trenches,  but  everything 
was  quiet  and  the  Germans  made  no  attack.  They  remained  there  till 
the  12th  of  August  and  then  went  to  Ouierien,  remained  there  two 
days  and  again  sailed  in  trucks  to  Harbonniers,  reaching  that  place 
on  the  15th,  and  on  the  19th  of  August  they  were  sent  to  the  lines  to 
assist  the  Australians  who  were  expecting  a  drive,  but  it  did  not  come 
and  on  the  20th  they  went  to  Longeau  on  trucks. 

At  Longeau  and  Amiens  everything  was  deserted,  not  a  civilian 
could  be  seen,  the  two  cities,  in  fact  all  the  surrounding  towns  were 
deserted.  Houses  that  once  had  been  inhabited  by  well-to-do 
families  were  now  deserted.  They  stood  some  roofless,  some  with- 
out windows — every  one  damaged  to  some  extent.  Here  in  these 
cities  and  deserted  towns,  here  in  this  God-forsaken  country,  here  in 
these  dilapidated  dwellings,  the  boys  put  up  for  about  a  week.  The 
cities  were  theirs,  no  one  to  molest,  no  one  to  question  their  rights. 
Here  George  v/as  monarch ;  here  he  held  communion  with  forms  that 
had  the  deathly  stillness  of  tombstones  excepting  when  some  aerial 
visitors  swooped  down  to  wake  the  dead.  Here  he  remained  a  week 
and  during  this  time  the  soldiers  disposed  of  everything  that  was 
English  and  took  on  everything  that  was  American,  and  again  started 
on  the  move,  like  the  Wandering  Jew,  no  rest  but  on  the  move  always ; 
for  after  they  were  reequipped  they  boarded  the  16  foot  cars,  31  in 
each  car,  and  rode  and  rode  until  they  reached  Francois  Tronville, 
and  hiked  back  to  the  old  town  of  Resson.  Here  they  took  up  the 
American  style  of  training  with  the  use  of  the  sure  shot  French  auto- 
matic rifle — the  Enfield  rifle  had  been  discarded.  September  6th 
again  saw  them  on  the  move ;  they  left  Resson  for  the  American  lines 
near  Verdun,  and  went  to  Bar  le  Due  about  five  miles  from  the  Ver- 
dun front.  They  went  to  a  French  camp  in  the  woods,  reaching  the 
place  on  the  morning  of  the  7th  of  September,  and  again  in  the  eve- 

180 


ning  of  the  8th  left  the  place.  It  was  move,  always  move ;  it  seemed 
to  George  they  either  did  not  know  what  to  do  with  them  or  that  they 
used  his  bunch  to  place  them  where  an  attack  by  the  Germans  was 
anticipated.  Anyway  they  moved  from  place  to  place.  They  were 
under  shell  fire  nearly  all  the  time,  but  they  had  got  used  to  that. 

On  the  evening  of  the  8th  they  went  into  the  lines  at  Chatincourt 
which  was  at  the  foot  of  Dead  Man's  Hill.  Chatincourt  was  the 
terminal  point  for  the  Germans,  it  was  the  turning  point  also.  They 
had  got  as  far  as  Chatincourt,  they  had  captured  Chatincourt,  but  held 
it  only  30  minutes,  and  were  driven  out  by  the  French.  The  Americans 
were  now  going  to  hold  the  place.  Another  drive  by  the  Germans 
was  expected  but  it  did  not  come.  The  boys  went  into  dugouts  and 
caves,  they  were  being  bombarded  continually  and  they  simply  had 
to  remain  in  their  places  of  safety  and  misery.  Years  ago  the  French 
had  made  this  place  secure,  they  were  40  feet  under  the  ground  to  keep 
the  large  shells  from  going  through.  Can  we  imagine  the  uncomfort- 
able positions  the  boys  were  in,  with  rain  pouring  down  all  the  time, 
water  dripping  continually  through  the  walls?  Can  we  imagine  the 
damp  and  lonely  positions  mingled  wnth  darkness,  cooties  and  rats 
to  break  the  monotony  when  the  shells  ceased  to  fall  for  a  spell? 
This,  however,  was  not  to  last  always.  They  were  at  Chatincourt  18 
days  when  the  great  drive  commenced  on  the  26th  of  September,  the 
biggest  drive  in  the  world's  history,  the  drive  that  every  soldier  knows  ; 
the  drive  that  ended  the  war.  The  drive  that  was  so  well  planned 
that  the  Germans  expected  nothing  of  the  kind.  This  drive  ended 
so  gloriously  for  us,  although  it  caused  the  hearts  of  thousands  of 
parents  in  America  to  be  sad.  This  drive  spread  both  joy  and  gloom 
over  the  friends  and  relatives  at  home. 

George  again  was  in  support ;  he  was  in  the  third  wave,  probably 
about  200  yards  behind  George  Bowman.  They  also  went  into 
Forges  Swamp  and  through  it  although  at  some  places  waist  deep. 
The  first  and  second  waves  had  come  together,  putting  the  third  wave 
right  at  their  heels.  The  swamp  was  dark  even  at  5:15  in  the  morn- 
ing, for  the  fog  was  so  thick  that  it  was  almost  like  night ;  the  Ger- 
mans never  noticed  them  until  they  were  on  top  of  them.  They 
should  have  made  the  drive  on  the  eve  of  the  26th,  several  days  before 
this,  but  their  right  and  left  could  not  gain  their  objective  so  they  had 
to  wait  to  keep  from  forming  a  wedge  and  thus  become  surrounded. 
Things  looked  serious  when  the  drive  did  start.  They  followed  up 
but  the  boys  ahead  of  them  had  gone  so  fast  that  they  had  left  some 
machine  gun  nests  still  in  action  and  one  of  their  men  got  shot  in  the 


181 


ankle,  one  in  the  foot,  and  one  machine  gun  bullet  penetrated  the  pack 
of  another  before  the  gunner  could  be  put  out  of  action. 

On  the  night  of  October  6th,  George  with  his  company  was  again 
on  the  move.    They  went  into  the  Argonne  Forest  to  support  the  4th 
Division,  thus  leaving  his  friends  to  their  fate.      In  the  Argonne  they 
went  over  Mt.  Faucon  and  many  high  hills,  they  held  the  front  lines 
from  the  night  of  the  6th  to  the  13th  of  October.      They  had  gone  in 
with  180  men,  they  came  out  with  56  men  and  those  who  did  come  out 
were  sick.      Now  they  had  plenty  to  eat,  but  they  were  too  sick  and 
worn  out  to  eat.      The  56  men  had  rations  for  180  men,  but  what  good 
could  salmon  and  more  salmon  do  when  they  had  it  for  breakfast, 
dinner  and  supper,  and  their   bodies  not  in  a   condition  to    relish  it. 
There  was  a  scarcity  of  tomatoes  and  they  were  crazy  for  vegetables. 
They  had  come  out  on  the  13th  of  October  and  had  gone  into    the 
trenches  at  Bethincourt  when  orders  came  for  the  company  to  take 
the  first  line  trenches.       The  boys  with  three-fourths  of  their  help 
gone  were  not  able  to  go,  but  they  packed  up  just  the  same,  and  when 
they  were  ready  to  enter  the  front  lines  the  order  was  rescinded  and 
the  boys  remained  in  the  caves.      George  and  his  pal  remained  in  this 
hiding  place  until  the  19th  of  October,  when  they  moved  from  Bethin- 
court and  hiked  8  miles  through  the  rain.       They    reached    an    old 
churcii  where  they  put  up  for  the  night.      They  got  about  four  hours' 
sleep  in  spite  of  the  rain  coming  through  the  roof  and  the  wet  con- 
crete floor  to  sleep  on.      The  weather  was  cold  but  they  were  on   the 
move  again  and  soon  were  at  the  French  barracks  in  the  woods  where 
they  had  been  before.      They  had  wandered  a  great  deal  since  they 
had  left  this  same  place  on  the  8th  of  September  when  they  stayed 
there  two  days,  but  this  time  they  left  again  at  2  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing.     They  had  barely  got  settled  down  when  the  order  came,  "You 
got  to  get  up."      They  took  another  16  mile  hike  to  Genecourt,  reach- 
ing this  place  on  the  20th  of  October  and  remained  until  the  night 
of  the  21st.       At  Genecourt  they  received  orders  to  move;  they  had 
got  to  a  cross  road.       One  road  led  to  and  the  other  away  from    the 
trenches.       They  hoped  they  would  take  the  road  that  would  lead 
them  to  a  quiet  place  for  a  while  but  they  were  soon  undeceived  when 
they  marched  along  the  road  that  led  to  more  trenches.      They  hiked 
to  an  entirely  different  place  this  time.       They  hiked  until  they  were 
more  than  40  miles  from  where  they  had  been  before.       They  went 
to  Hannonville  in  a  valley,  where  they  did  outpost  duty  until  the  29th 
of  October. 

From  Hannonville  they  went  to  Villiers,  where  George  was  one 
of  six  to  get  a  furlough.  Only  ten  per  cent  of  the  company  were  allowed 

182 


a  furlough,  and  as  there  were  56  left  only  six  got  a  furlough 
and  George  took  advantage  of  it.  He  went  to  Nancy  where  he  went 
through  a  delouser,  received  a  fine  bath  and  got  a  general  cleanup.  He 
got  all  he  could  eat— cakes,  candy  and  the  like.  He  remained  at 
Nancy  a  day  and  a  night ;  from  there  he  went  to  Chambry  in  the  Alps 
on  the  Swiss  border.  The  air  was  exhilarating  and  George  got  to 
feeling  himself  again.  He  stayed  in  a  good  hotel,  had  good  food  and 
other  enjoyments,  and  the  scenery  was  beautiful.  All  this  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  government  made  him  feel  it  was  not  so  bad  after  all, 
for  hard  times,  misery  and  danger  are  soon  forgotten  by  the  youth 
of  America.  He  remained  at  Chambry  from  the  first  until  the  ninth 
of  November.  They  celebrated  the  false  peace  report  on  the  7th 
of  November  in  grand  style,  and  they  had  a  real  time  for  a  while  any- 
way, the  same  as  was  experienced  in  this  country. 

After  the  9th  of  November  he  started  back  to  the  lines  and 
reached  the  place  just  in  time  to  hear  the  last  cannon  fired  and  calm 
prevailed;  excepting  where  here  and  there  in  the  distance  could  be 
heard  the  blowing  up  of  ammunition  dumps  or  mines.  Major  Bol- 
ington,  of  Ramsey,  Illinois,  received  praise  among  the  boys  that  he 
never  heard  of.  He  was  a  man  beloved  by  all  who  were  connected 
with  him.  He  had  on  the  morning  of  the  11th  of  November  re- 
ceived orders  to  make  another  advance.  He  had  done  a  great  deal 
in  the  past;  three-fourths  of  his  effectives  had  paid  the  price  and 
with  so  few  left  another  advance  when  it  would  probably  mean  the 
anihilation  of  his  entire  bunch  and  at  a  time  when  only  hours  or 
minutes  stood  before  him.  Thus  in  order  to  save  the  lives  of  those 
he  loved  he  spent  his  time  in  making  preparations  for  another  drive. 
Thus  the  hour  struck,  quiet  prevailed,  his  men  were  saved  and  he 
retained  the  love  of  his  fellow  soldiers  and  the  good  citizens  of  this 
country.  If  the  good  citizens  of  Ramsey,  Illinois,  should  feel  proud 
of  anything  they  should  feel  proud  of  this  Major  Bolington,  who  was 
unwilling  to  see  his  boys  slaughtered  when  it  was  unnecessary. 

The  next  day  great  times  were  had,  for  the  moment  the  last  gun 
had  sounded  Germans  and  Americans  mingled  together.  Hatred  be- 
tween them  was  no  more.  On  the  13th  many  prisoners  returned; 
some  had  been  prisoner  nearly  four  years  and  had  been  held  near  the 
lines  to  work  and  they  could  soon  come  across  the  lines.  One 
Italian  returning  who  had  been  prisoner  four  years,  accidently  touched 
off  a  grenade  and  had  his  arms  shot  off  from  the  effects  of  which  he 
died.  He  had  seen  much  fighting,  had  seen  hardships  during  the 
time  he  was  prisoner  and  after  he  became  free  had  to  lose  his  life. 
From  this  time  on  many  prisoners  returned  daily.      On  the  16th  of 


183 


November  the  Division  got  the  glorious  news  that  they  had  been 
selected  to  parade  in  the  United  States  on  Christmas  day ;  and  when 
they  met  the  5th  going  to  the  Army  of  Occupation  they  told  them  the 
cheerful  news,  expecting  to  create  a  jealousy,  but  they  said  nothing; 
and  to  their  horror  they — the  33rd  Division — was  soon  on  their  way 
into  Germany  and  they  found  out  the  Christmas  parade  was  nothing 
but  a  hoax. 

From  the  19th  of  November  until  the  7th  of  December  they 
cleaned  up  towns  and  fields ;  they  picked  up  shells  and  grenades.  In 
this  section  only  two  good  houses  were  left  standing;  these  had  been 
built  of  better  material  and  the  cannon  balls  had  only  pierced  them 
but  the  walls  and  the  roofs  had  stood  the  test.  Besides  these  two 
houses  not  a  house  could  be  seen  that  was  not  completely  demolished 
and  that  could  in  reality  be  called  a  residence. 

During  this  time  they  also  drilled  some  to  put  in  the  time  until 
the  7th  of  December  when  they  hiked  about  20  miles  for  Luxemburg. 
They  struck  the  town  of  Conflans  where  they  rested  until  the  9th 
when  they  hiked  through  the  mining  district  of  Briey,  where  many 
miles  of  overhead  cable  was  in  operation  carrying  ore.  This  is  the 
famous  district  that  different  nations  covet.  On  the  night  of  the 
11th  of  December  they  stopped  at  Esch,  a  beautiful  town,  where  they 
billeted  in  a  school  house  over  night.  On  the  12th  they  hiked  five 
kilos  to  Hesperangen,  where  the  boys  had  pay  day.  On  the  14th 
they  hiked  15  kilos  to  Remich  on  the  Moselle  River,  which  they 
crossed  the  next  day  at  Nenning-Wietern  and  remained  in  the  neigh- 
borhood until  the  17th,  when  they  went  back  to  Renich  on  the 
Moselle,  where  George  had  all  the  wine  he  could  drink.  They  re- 
mained at  Renich  until  the  20th  when  they  hiked  to  Burglinster  in 
Luxemburg.  Here  they  billeted  in  houses  and  barns,  some  were  and 
others  were  not  comfortable,  for  the  weather  was  getting  very  cold. 

They  remained  until  the  9th  of  January,  1919,  when  again  they 
made  another  short  hike  to  Godbringen.  This  was  to  be  their  last 
hike.  At  Godbringen  they  drilled  and  exercised  until  the  25th  of 
April,  their  last  day's  stay  in  the  Army  of  Occupation.  While  here 
George  received  another  furlough.  There  was  not  much  going  on 
in  this  town  so  after  going  through  a  delouser,  and  passing  inspection 
George  started  to  Paris  on  the  21st  of  March.  He  went  from  Luxem- 
burg to  Brussels,  from  Brussels  to  Lille,  from  there  to  Paris  and 
Versailles,  passing  through  the  place  near  Albert  where  he  had  re- 
ceived his  first  baptism  of  fire. 

In  Paris  he  saw  the  palace  of  Louis  XIV,  he  saws  the  hall  of 
mirrors,  the  table  where  the  Germans  signed  up,  he  saw  the  house 

184 


where  Wilson  stayed  and  he  could  have  seen  many  more  things  but 
his  time  was  limited  and  he  had  to  go  back;  besides  in  Lille  and 
Paris  George  paid  for  everything.  Not  so  in  Brussels,  there  every- 
thing was  free.  He  received  good  treatment  from  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.'s 
while  in  Paris.  He  returned  to  his  company,  went  through  Metz  and 
reached  Godbringen  on  the  28th  of  March.  On  the  22nd  of  April  they 
had  inspection  at  Ettlebruck  by  General  Pershing.  General  Persh- 
ing and  Secretary  Baker  made  speeches. 

They  started  for  home  through  St.  Mihiel  on  the  25th  of  April. 
At  New  Chateau  the  Red  Cross  treated  them  to  coffee,  bread  and  jam. 
They  distributed  180  boxes  of  cookies,  of  which  George  received  an 
ample  supply  and  to  which  he  did  justice.  They  reached  Brest  on 
the  29th  and  boarded  the  ship  Mount  Vernon  on  the  7th  of  May.  The 
Mount  Vernon  had  formerly  been  the  Crown  Princess  Cecelia  and  was 
a  fine  vessel  which  made  the  voyage  a  pleasant  one ;  they  had  but  two 
stormy  days  but  no  seasickness  resulted.  He  was  in  company  with 
George  Bowman,  Gus  Memken,  Gus  Bangert  and  Ed.  Bangert,  all 
from  this  vicinity.  They  landed  at  Hoboken  on  the  16th  of  May  and 
debarked  on  the  17th.  They  went  at  once  to  Camp  Alills  and  from 
there  to  Chicago  where  they  paraded,  for  the  130th  and  the  132nd  were 
mostly  Illinois  boys. 

That  night  they  went  to  Camp  Grant,  from  where  George  was 
discharged  on  the  31st  of  May,  reaching  home  on  Sunday  morning, 
June  1,  1919.  George  did  not  state  how  many  miles  he  traveled  or 
hiked;  we  have  learned,  however,  that  he  wandered  a  great  deal.  He 
wandered  amidst  civilization,  he  wandered  in  No  Man's  Land,  and  in 
other  strange  lands.  When  on  the  first  of  June  his  wandering  had 
ceased  and  he  found  his  parents,  his  brother  and  sisters  happy,  joy 
reigned  supreme. 

■  Following  is  his  discharge  from  the  United  States  Army  and  his 
enlistment  record : 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 
To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify,  that  George  F. 
Smith,  1976140,  1st  class  Private,  Co.  I,  132nd  Infantry,  the  United 
States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby 
honorably  discharge  from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States  by 
reason  of  convenience  of  government.  Cir.  106,  W.  D.,  April  19,  1918. 
Said  George  F.  Smith  was  born  in  East  Alton  in  the  State  of  Illinois. 
When  enlisted  he  was  23  6-12  years  of  age  and  by  occupation  a  farmer. 
He  had  blue  eyes,  brown  hair,  ruddy  complexion,  and  was  5  feet  6  1-4 
inches  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp  Grant,  Illinois,  this 
31st  day  of  May,  1919.  Harry  A.  Yaale,  Major  Inf.  U.  S.  A.,  Com- 
manding. 
185 


ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  George  F.  Smith.  Grade:  1st  class  Private.  Inducted: 
September  19,  1917,  at  Alton,  Illinois,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period 
at  date  of  discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Non-commissioned 
officer:  Corporal  March  5,  1918,  January  1,  1919.  Marksmanship, 
gunner  qualification  or  rating :  Not  rated.  Horsemanship  :  Not 
mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes,  expeditions :  Verdun 
Sept.  8-25,  1918;  Meuse-Argonne  Sept.  26  to  Nov.  11-12,  1918.  Army 
of  Occupation,  Dec.  12,  1918- April.  Wounds  received  in  battle : 
None :  Physical  condition  when  discharged :  Good.  Typhoid 
prophylaxis  completed  Oct.  12,  1917;  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis  com- 
pleted Oct.  12,  1917.  Married  or  single:  Single.  Character:  Ex- 
cellent. Signature  of  soldier:  George  F.  Smith.  John  I.  Fitz 
Sommers,  1st  Lieut.  16th  D.  B.  Camp  Grant,  111.,  May  31,  1919.  Paid 
in  full,  $103.69  including  bonus  of  $60.00,  Act  of  Feb.  24,  1919. 
S.  H.  Francis,  Captain  Quartermaster  Corps. 


EMIL  H.  PAUL 

Emil  H.  Paul,  son  of  William  H.  and  Carrie  Paul,  was  born  in 
Fort  Russell  Township,  five  miles  east  of  Bethalto,  January  13,  1895. 
He  attended  the  Omphghent  school  until  he  completed  the  Eighth 
grade.  His  parents  lived  on  a  farm  and  Emil  assisted  with  the  farm 
work  until  he  was  called  to  the  colors.  He  registered  in  June,  1917, 
and  was  one  of  the  first  to  leave  for  the  army.  He  was  called  on  the 
19th  of  September,  1917,  and  left  Edwardsville  September  20,  going 
to  Camp  Taylor,  Ky.,  in  company  with  Fred  Sanders,  his  friend,  who 
was  also  going  to  join  Uncle  Sam's  Army.  Many  others  left  Ed- 
wardsville, Alton,  and  Staunton  on  the  same  day,  but  only  Fred's  name 
is  mentioned  in  this  connection,  for  the  two,  Fred  and  Emil,  were 
destined  to  become  fast  friends,  for  they  were  together  until  their  final 
parting  many  thousand  miles  away.  Their  history  reads  much  the 
same  for  they  left  together,  remained  together,  went  through  the  same 
maneuvers  together,  slept  together,  and  stood  the  hardships  together. 

Emil  was  placed  in  Co.  B,  333rd  Infantry.  He  received  the 
training  that  at  once  fitted  him  for  service  beyond  the  seas ;  and  con- 
tinued with  this  until  the  5th  of  April,  1918,  when  he  left  Camp  Tay- 
lor for  Camp  Logan,  where  the  33rd  Division  was  receiving  men  to 
fill  up  the  division  and  put  it  on  a  war  basis.  At  Camp  Logan  near 
Houston,  Texas,  Emil  was  put  in  Co.  M,  132nd  Infantry.  Again  he 
received  more  intensive  training,  for  the  33rd  Division  was  almost 

186 


ready  to  go  overseas.  Emil  was  well  qualified  for  the  service,  one 
reason  why  he  was  sent  to  the  33rd  Division,  for  it  was  soon  to  take 
an  active  part  in  the  affairs  that  were  to  settle  forever  that  this  coun- 
try should  uphold  its  honor,  integrity  and  liberty. 

After  various  kinds  of  training  at  Camp  Logan  the  Division 
started  to  move  a  month  after  he  left  Camp  Taylor;  this  was  on  the 
5th  of  May;  when  they  crossed  the  great  continent  on  their  way  to 
Camp  Upton,  N.  Y.,  where  they  remained  a  few  days — long  enough  to 
be  equipped  for  overseas  duty.  They  reached  Camp  Upton  on  the  16th 
of  May,  and  left  on  the  Mount  Vernon  on  the  24th.  The  Mount  Vernon 
was  well  fixed  for  the  service,  and  as  she  was  under  American  com- 
mand, and  the  soldiers  receiving  good  clean  American  rations,  very 
few  got  seasick,  and  the  trip  across  was  an  uneventful  one  and  they 
landed  safely  at  Brest. 

On  account  of  the  smallness  of  the  Camp  at  Brest  they  remained 
there  but  three  days  when  they  started  on  the  famous  French  box 
car  ride  that  need  not  be  commented  on  here  as  some  other  soldier  has 
fully  described  a  trip  in  one  of  these  cars.  They  rode  two  days  and 
two  nights,  reaching  Oisemont,  from  which  place  they  hiked  some  25 
kilos  to  a  place  called  Matigny,  where  they  remained  a  month  receiv- 
ing instructions  in  gas  drills  and  trench  warfare.  During  the  time 
they  were  stationed  at  Matigny  they  were  with  the  British,  and  while 
with  them  the  food  conditions  changed  from  bad  to  worse  and  at 
times  it  was  almost  unbearable. 

After  a  month's  training  they  left  Matigny  and  went  to  Molines 
Wood  about  six  miles  behind  the  lines.  The  132nd  was  held  in  re- 
serve here  and  while  here  Emil  was  learning  fast.  It  was  a  place  of 
real  warfare,  under  shell  fire  all  the  time.  After  holding  the  lines 
four  days  they  went  back  for  a  two  days'  rest,  when  they  were  once 
more  sent  to  the  trenches  for  four  days,  holding  the  lines  at  Hamel 
Woods  on  the  Albert  front.  On  the  evening  of  the  third  of  July, 
Emil  with  his  company  went  over  the  top.  They  gained  Chapilly 
Ridge  and  held  it  two  days  until  they  were  relieved.  This  was  near 
Hamel  Wood  and  the  Germans  did  not  show  as  great  a  resistance  as 
was  expected.  After  this  they  left  the  English  command  and  were 
put  under  American  command. 

They  left  in  box  cars  for  Bar  le  Due  and  remained  there  two 
weeks.  They  were  with  the  French  five  days  and  then  left  for  the 
trenches  at  the  foot  of  Dead  Man's  Hill,  near  Chatincourt,  about  14 
miles  from  Verdun.  They  were  in  the  trenches  18  days,  constantly 
under  shell  fire;  often  the  fire  was  so  intense  that  it  was  impossible  to 
get  any  rations  hauled  to  them  and  when  hunger  would  set  in  hard  and 

187 


they  had  a  chance  to  get  anything  cooked  or  raw  they  would  devour 
it  so  ravenously  that  often  cramps  would  result  and  the  poor  boys 
would  be  worse  off  than  if  they  had  starved.  These  eighteen  days 
were  trying  to  the  boys,  a  long,  long  trial ;  the  26th  of  September 
had  been  reached,  the  5:15  a.  m.  had  come,  the  date  and  the  hour  that 
thousands  of  our  brave  fellows  will  never  forget.  The  hour  for  the 
great  game ;  the  hour  for  the  greatest  game  that  was  ever  played  in 
the  annals  of  history ;  the  hour  when  the  crucial  test  came ;  the  hour 
when  America's  power  was  to  be  recognized.  These  brave  fellows 
now  made  the  advance  as  an  American  unit,  the  brave  boys  had  seen 
no  rest  for  the  past  18  days,  and  without  further  notice  they  were  to 
move  forvv'ard ;  they  were  to  go  through  on  schedule  time  where  the 
French  had  failed  several  years.  The  Germans  had  lost  an  equal 
number  and  had  failed  in  their  objective ;  now  the  Americans  must  go 
into  the  arena. 

Emil  and  Fred  were  together ;  they  knew  what  must  be  done ; 
they  knew  Forges  Swamp  must  be  crossed  that  morning;  they  knew 
Forges  Woods  beyond  must  be  taken.  They  went  forward  through 
the  swamp  that  was  full  of  shell  holes  filled  with  vv^ater  that  would 
cause  them  to  sink  down  sometimes  waist  deep ;  but  the  two  went 
through ;  they  went  into  Forges  Wood ;  yes  and  beyond  it.  The 
French  did  not  believe  it  could  be  done  ;  for  they  had  tried  three  years  ; 
and  the  Germans  had  continually  improved  their  positions  with  artil- 
lery, machine  gun  nest,  barbed  wire  entanglement,  mines  and  other 
death  dealing  devices ;  so  they  felt  comparatively  safe,  for  they  had 
never  heard  of  America's  ingenuity.  The  object  was  accomplished 
in  a  few  days  and  many  prisoners  were  captured  and  large  quantities 
of  war  material.  One  Bethalto  boy,  Ed.  Bangert,  was  wounded  in 
Forges  Wood,  several  who  went  through  remained  unhurt,  among 
whom  were  Emil  and  Fred  and  George  Bowman.  As  soon  as  Forges 
Woods  was  in  their  possession  they  went  on  without  further  rest  into 
Fay's  Woods.  It  seemed  like  they  knew  the  enemy  had  to  be  de- 
feated and  the  quicker  the  better.  Our  boys  stood  firm,  the  machine 
gun  bullets  were  taking  a  heavy  toll  but  they  went  on  without  flinch- 
ing; those  who  remained  unhurt  went  on  far  into  the  wood. 

Emil's  corporal  had  paid  the  price  and  Em.il  took  his  place,  be- 
coming corporal  on  the  10th  of  October.  Not  a  minute  went  by  but 
some  one  fell  out  of  the  ranks,  yet  Emil  and  Fred  went  on  and  on 
until  Fay's  Woods  also  was  in  their  hands ;  yet  they  went  on.  These 
were  awful  days  and  nights ;  far  into  the  woods  with  no  food ;  and  no 
chance  for  any ;  thus  five  days  went  by — five  days  that  no  mortal  man 
can  stand;  five  days  when  thousands,  yea,  millions  of  precious  lives 

188 


were  cheap;  a  time  when  real  prayers  are  sent  heavenward.  They 
had  gained  their  objective ;  Fay's  Woods  was  in  their  hands,  and  still 
they  pressed  on  and  on  through  an  open  space  where  our  men  fell  by 
the  score ;  yet  Emil  and  Fred  went  on,  they  were  still  together ;  Fred's 
corporal  had  sacrificed  his  life ;  he  had  fallen  and  it  became  Fred's  duty 
to  assume  this  position.  Thus  Emil  and  Fred  went  on,  never  more 
than  20  yards  apart ;  they  succeeded  in  reaching  Bois  de  Forret  or 
Forret  Wood  amid  a  rain  of  bullets.  As  soon  as  they  reached  Forret 
Wood  they  dug  in,  in  other  words,  they  hid  behind  anything  that  could 
be  found ;  one  would  crouch  behind  a  pile  of  earth ;  Emil  hid  behind  a 
tree  to  escape  the  machine  gun  bullets  that  were  flying ;  they  were 
making  one  counter  attack  after  another ;  determination  was  marked 
on  their  faces  but  it  did  little  good.  When  the  first  scouting  party  of 
the  enemy  came  along  several  of  our  brave  boys  again  had  to  pay  the 
price,  several  fell,  among  whom  was  Emil's  best  friend;  yes,  Fred  also 
had  paid  the  price. 

Although  not  in  Fred's  squad,  Emil  was  but  a  few  yards  away 
from  him,  and  after  the  scouting  party  had  been  killed  Emil  walked 
up  to  where  his  friend  lay,  he  had  been  spied  by  an  enemy  scout  who 
had  shot  him.  As  soon  as  the  first  scouting  party  had  been  disposed 
of  another  came  along  and  then  another ;  both  were  terribly  dealt  with, 
for  not  a  single  one  of  the  enemy  escaped.  Fred  was  buried  where 
he  fell,  but  he  was  afterward  taken  up  and  placed  in  an  American 
cemetery. 

Fred  lost  his  life  on  the  last  day  of  that  terrible  ordeal,  for  on  the 
following  day,  the  13th  of  October,  the  boys  were  ordered  to  leave  the 
place ;  anotlier  company  had  come  to  relieve  them.  They  went  to 
Genecourt  near  Bar  le  Due,  near  the  Aleuse.  They  remained  there 
two  days  and  then  went  back  for  a  rest.  This  should  have  been  a  long 
rest  but  two  days  was  all  they  got ;  after  that  they  v/ere  sent  to  the  St. 
Mihiel  front,  about  ten  miles  south  of  Metz,  in  the  Lorraine  Sector. 
They  were  under  shell  fire  constantly,  and  they  hiked  all  the  way. 

Many  a  forsaken  place  did  they  pass,  many  a  ruined  house  was 
seen.  This  was  truly  No  Man's  Land,  for  it  seemed  as  if  no  human 
being  could  even  exist  there.  The  31st  of  October  was  finally  reached 
for  Emil ;  a  day  when  he  would  receive  a  seven-day  leave  for  more 
beautiful  scenery.  He  went  to  Labron  Bo,  near  the  Switzerland 
border,  where  the  scenery  was  beautiful,  where  the  Alps  loomed  up  in 
the  distance  with  everything  quiet  at  this  place,  with  the  fields  full  of 
fall  flowers,  and  snow-capped  hills  in  the  distance.  Emil  once  more 
became  himself  again ;  he  felt  refreshed,  for  he  had  had  several  fine 
baths,  had  excellent  hotel  accommodations,  and  a  clean  bed.       This 

189 


was  the  first  time  he  had  slept  in  a  house  in  eight  months.      He  had 
a  seven  days'  leave ;  this  did  not  include  the  time  of  his  going  and  com- 
ing ;  and  when  his  time  expired  and  he  was  getting  ready  to  leave  this 
quiet  place  to  return  to  the  cannon's  roar  the  greatest  of  all  things 
happened,  the  11th  of  November  had  come,  the  armistice  was  signed. 
The  French  were  the  happiest  of  people,  flags  were  flying  everywhere, 
wine  was  flowing  freely  wherever  you  saw  the  French  celebrating.    It 
took  Emil  four  days  to  get  back  to  his  company,  which  was  on  the 
15th  of  November.      They  were  starting  on  a  hike  to  Doncourt  in  the 
Metz  area,  where  they  remained  three  days  cleaning  up  the  battlefield ; 
from  there  they  went  to  Woel,  where  they  remained  a  week  doing  the 
same  kind  of  work.      They  remained  until  the  7th  of  December  when 
they  started  on  their  famous  hike  into  Luxemburg.      There  was  no 
danger  of  any  mines,  for  the  Germans  had  disposed  of  them  on  their 
way  back  to  Germany.       They  crossed  the  Mozelle  and  went  across 
Luxemburg,  but  did  not  get  as  far  as  the  Rhine.      They  went  as  far 
east  as  Weiten,  w^here  they  remained  but  two  days  when  they  were 
sent  back  into  Luxemburg  where  they  remained    from    the    20th    of 
December  until  the  25th  of  April  doing  guard  duty  and  rifle  practice 
on  the  rifle  range.      On  the  25th  of  April  they  were  loaded  on  trucks 
and  they  started  on  their  way  homeward;  they    rode    to    Graemen 
Macker,  which  was  a  rail  head;  and  where  they  were  put  into  real 
American  box  cars ;  on  their  way  home  they  went  through  Metz  and 
Verdun  and  other  places  of  interest  and  finally  reached  Brest  on  the 
29th  of  April  and  remaining  there  until  the  9th  of  May,  when  they 
once  more  boarded  the  Mount  Vernon  to  return  to  America.       The 
voyage  was  by  far  more  pleasant  than  when  they  crossed  the  first 
time;  there  was  no  gloom,  and    lights  burned    brightly  all  the    way 
across.       Several  Bethalto  boys  were  on  the  same  boat  and  the  re- 
turn trip  was  rather  a  pleasant  one  for  the  boys  had  partly  recovered 
from  the  gloomy  days  that  they  had  seen.      They  landed  at  Hoboken 
on  the  17th  of  May  and  were  sent  to  Camp  Mills  where  they  remained 
until  the  21st  and  from  there  they  went  to  Camp  Grant  from  w^here 
they  were  discharged  on  the  29th  of  May.       Reaching  home  safely 
and  being  welcomed  by  parents  and  relatives  and  friends,  the  verses 
of  Minna  Irving  constantly  appeared  to  him.       The  poem,  entitled 
"The  Soldier,"  runs  thus  : 

When  last  in  the  Argonne  with  death  on  my  trail, 

And  snipers  all  round  us,  and  bullets  like  hail, 

I  thought  of  a  robin  far  over  the  sea 

That  built  in  the  top  of  a  white  lilac  tree — 


190 


The  tall  lilac  tree  that  grew  close  to  the  door 

Of  the  home  that  I  thought  I  would  never  see  more, 

Now  I  sit  on  the  porch  with  the  sun  in  the  west, 

And  the  robin  is  thrilling  his  song  by  the  nest, 

In  the  green  lilac  boughs,  but  the  world  has  gone  dead. 

For  the  music  of  bullets  that  sang  overhead, 

And  the  comrade  who  fell  where  the  red  rivers  ran, 

And  taught  me  the  measure  God  used  for  man. 

Following  is  his  discharge  and  enlistment  record : 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Emil  Henry 
Paul,  1976015,  Corporal  Co.  M,  132nd  Infantry,  the  United  States 
Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby  honor- 
ably discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States  by 
reason  of  convenience  of  government.  Per  Cir.  106,  W.  D.  1918. 
Said  Emil  Henry  Paul  was  born  in  Edwardsville,  in  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois. When  enlisted  he  was  22  9-12  years  of  age  and  by  occupation 
a  farmer.  He  had  blue  eyes,  dark  hair,  ruddy  complexion  and  was 
5  feet  11  inches  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp  Grant, 
111.,  this  31st  day  of  May,  1919.  Harry  A.  Yagle,  Major  Inf.  U.  S.  A., 
Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  Emil  Henry  Paul.  Grade:  Corporal.  Enlisted:  Sep- 
tember 19,  1917,  at  Edwardsville,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period 
at  date  of  discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Non-commissioned 
officer:  Corporal  from  private  1st  class,  March,  1919.  Marksman- 
ship, gunner  qualification,  or  rating :  Not  rated.  Horsemanship : 
Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes,  expeditions :  Verdun 
lines ;  June  23,  Aug.  23,  1918.  Verdun  Sector,  September  8-25,  1918. 
Argonne-Meuse  Offensive,  Sept.  26,  October  13,  1918.  Troyan  Sur 
Meuse:  Oct.  25,  Nov.  11,  1918.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation:  Farmer. 
Wounds  received  in  service :  None.  Physical  condition  when  dis- 
charged:  Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed  October  12,  1917; 
Paratyphoid  prophylaxis  completed:  October  12,  1917.  Married  or 
single :  Single.  Character :  Excellent.  Signature  of  soldier : 
Emil  Henry  Paul.  John  J.  Fitzsimmons,  1st  Lieut.  161st  D.  B.,  Com- 
manding, Camp  Grant,  111.,  May  31,  1919.  Paid  in  full:  $111.18,  in- 
cluding bonus  of  $60.00,  Act  of  Feb.  24,  1919.  S.  H.  Francis,  Captain 
Quartermaster  Corps. 

191 


FRED  W.  SANDERS 

Fred  W.  Sanders,  son  of  Fred  W.  and  Hannah  Sanders,  was  born 
in  Fort  Russell  Township,  east  of  Bethalto,  July  18,  1892.  His 
youth  was  spent  at  home  on  the  farm  and  he  received  his  education 
at  the  Liberty  Prairie  school,  completing  the  Eighth  grade  work.  He 
registered  for  the  service  in  June,  1917,  and  was  called  to  the  colors  on 
the  19th  of  September,  1917.  He  left  with  a  bunch  of  172  boys  for 
Camp  Taylor  where  he  was  placed  in  Co.  B,  333rd  Infantry.  Fred 
received  the  usual  line  of  drilling,  company  duty,  etc.,  until  April  5, 
1918,  when  he  with  other  boys  was  sent  to  Camp  Logan,  Texas,  near 
the  city  of  Houston.  Here  he  was  placed  in  Co.  M,  132nd  Infantry 
of  the  33rd  Division,  which  was  being  strengthened  in  order  to  have 
the  proper  number  of  men  for  overseas  duty,  the  33rd  Division  being 
short  of  men. 

At  Camp  Logan  they  received  intensive  training  for  they  had  not 
long  to  remain  in  this  country,  and  within  a  month,  on  the  5th  of  May, 
they  were  on  their  way  to  Camp  Upton,  N.  Y.,  where  the  boys  re- 
ceived their  full  equipment  for  overseas  service.  They  left  Camp 
Upton  on  the  16th  of  May  and  sailed  on  the  Mount  Vernon  for  France, 
where  they  arrived  on  the  24th  of  May,  landing  at  Brest.  They  re- 
mained in  camp  three  days  when  they  started  in  French  box  cars  into 
France.  They  rode  two  days  and  two  nights  reaching  Oisemont 
from  which  place  they  hiked  25  miles  to  a  place  called  Matigny,  where 
they  remained  a  month,  receiving  more  training  in  gas  and  trench 
v/arfare.  During  this  time  they  were  with  the  British.  After  they 
left  Matigny  they  went  to  another  British  Sector  at  Molines  Woods, 
about  six  miles  behind  the  lines,  and  the  132nd  was  held  in  reserve. 
While  attached  to  the  British  forces  they  went  through  a  period  of  in- 
tensive training. 

On  June  21st  Fred  had  his  first  experience  in  the  trenches  where 
he  was  helping  hold  the  lines  for  four  days.  Then  they  went  back 
for  a  two  days'  rest  and  again  returned  to  the  trenches  for  another 
four  days,  holding  the  lines  at  Hamel  Wood  on  the  Albert  Front,  and 
again  went  back  for  a  rest.  On  the  evening  of  the  3rd  of  July  they 
returned  to  the  trenches  and  on  the  morning  of  the  4th  of  July  Fred 
had  his  first  experience  in  "Going  over  the  Top."  This  was  at 
Chapilly  Ridge  near  Hamel  Wood.  The  ridge  was  taken,  for  there 
was  not  much  resistance  by  the  Germans,  and  after  gaining  their  ob- 
jective and  holding  their  gains  for  two  days  they  left  the  place  and 
were  transferred  to  the  American  command. 

They  again  left  in  box  cars  and  went  to  Barle  Due  where  they  re- 
mained two  weeks.      They  were  Vv-ith  the  French  about  five  days  and 

192 


^^«„^^ 

-M 

PH^^^^  -     iii.'jM 

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■••  -™^^^flp                  ^ 

I 

ft^ 

r 

Hi 

1 

GEORGE    J.   DEIST 
Att'd  to  School  for  Bakers  and  Cooks 


JESSE  LENORD  CLEMENTS 

Headquarters  Co.,  66th  Art.,  C.  A.  C. 


WILLIAM  H.  DETTMERS 
Sgt.,  Co.  H,   139th  Infantry 


CLARENCE   S.   RYAN 
Supply  Co.,  131st  Infantry 


EMIL  H.  PAUL 
Corp.,  Co.  M,  132nd  Infantry 


ALBERT   E.   KAYSER 

(Deceased) 
Co.  B,  113th  Infantry 


RUDOLPH   LOHR 

Wag.  Sup.  Co.,  129th  Infantry 


FRED  W.  SANDERS 

(Deceased) 
Corp.,  Co.  M,  132nd  Infantry 


were  then  sent  to  the  trenches  at  the  foot  of  Dead  Man's  Hill  near 
Chatincourt  and  about  14  miles  from  the  city  of  Verdun.  Fred  was 
first  gimner  in  the  Automatic  Squad,  using  French  automatics.  They 
held  the  trenches  for  18  days  when  on  the  26th  of  September,  at  5  :15 
in  the  morning-,  they  were  ordered  to  advance  without  having  had  a 
rest.  This  going  over  the  top  was  witnessed  by  many  a  soldier,  yes 
many  thousand  soldiers  ;  they  went  through  Forges  Swamp  through 
deep  shell  holes  full  of  water,  and  through  Forges  Woods,  where 
many  a  brave  son  lost  his  life. 

Fighting  was  intense ;  here  Ed.  Bangert  was  wounded,  but  Fred 
came  out  of  it  unhurt ;  and  the  boys  left  Forges  Woods  after  it  was 
in  Americans'  hands,  and  went  to  Fay's  Woods.  Without  any  further 
rest  they  entered  Fay's  W^oods  on  the  6th  of  October;  the  German 
patrol  were  within  a  short  distance  from  our  boys.  The  machine 
gun  bullets  were  constantly  flying,  but  they  went  into  the  fray.  Fred 
was  on  the  extreme  right  and  they  passed  through  Fay's  Woods  and 
into  the  open  beyond  Fay's  Woods  and  through  the  open  space  into 
Forret  \\'oods  where  they  hid  behind  trees  and  piles  of  dirt  that  the 
boys  had  hurriedly  thrown  up  to  protect  themselves  from  machine  gun 
fire. 

While  they  were  thus  lying  down  a  German  patrol  came  along 
reconnoitering,  little  dreaming  our  boys  had  got  so  close,  and  as  Fred 
was  on  the  extreme  right  and  the  patrol  coming  in  on  their  flank  he 
heard  them  coming  and  upon  looking  up  to  see  what  the  noise  was  a 
German  spied  him  and  immediately  shot  in  the  direction  where  he  had 
seen  Fred  move,  with  the  result  that  spread  sorrow  over  parents, 
relatives  and  friends.  Yes,  his  aim  had  been  accurate  and  Fred  fell 
back  mortally  wounded.  The  fighting  by  this  tiiue  became  deathly 
close.  Fred's  comrade,  upon  seeing  what  had  happened,  jumped  up 
and  a  pistol  duel  began  in  which  Fred's  buddie  was  the  victor.  Four 
of  the  boys,  including  Fred,  had  been  killed ;  but  the  German  patrol 
paid  dear  for  their  daring,  for  only  one  escaped.  Two  other  patrols 
came  along,  each  consisting  of  about  thirty  men,  but  each  fared  the 
same  fate  or  worse,  for  not  one  of  them  returned  to  the  German  lines. 
Our  boys  had  become  desperate  at  having  seen  their  comrades  fall  and 
had  disposed  of  both  patrols. 

Sadly  they  picked  Fred  up  and  buried  him  where  he  fell,  but  he 
was  not  left  there,  for  he  was  taken  up  and  buried  in  an  American 
cemetery.  Fred  had  been  obedient  to  the  last,  he  was  an  example  in 
the  army,  he  set  an  example  that  only  true  Americans  can  do ;  he  took 
the  lead  for  we  find  him  and  leave  him  in  the  very  lead ;  no  loyal 
American  could  do  more  or  go  farther;  his    sacrifice  was    truly    the 

193 


supreme  sacrifice  and  all  true  loyal    American  citizens  do    him    the 
greatest  honor  that  can  be  bestowed. 

Following  is  an  abstract  of  a  letter  written  to  Fred's  father  by  the 
Colonel,  Somewhere  in  France,  Nov.  10,  1918.  Mr.  Fred  Sander, 
R.F.D.,  Moro,  III:  On  October  12th,  1918,  our  regiment,  together 
with  other  American  troops,  took  part  in  an  engagement.  Your  son, 
Fred  W.  Sander,  Jr.,  Private  Co.  M,  was  killed  on  the  battlefield. 
From  personal  accounts  of  his  comrades  I  may  vouch  that  he  died  a 
hero.  The  engagement  terminated  in  a  hand-to-hand  fight  in  which 
all  of  our  men  took  part,  your  son  among  them.  The  officers  and 
men  of  the  regiment  mourn  his  loss  and  extend  their  condolence  to 
you.  He  has  not  died  in  vain.  In  future  engagements  in  which 
this  regiment  may  take  part  your  son's  gallant  and  heroic  deeds  shall 
be  our  inspiration  to  victory.      Sincerely  yours,  Abel  Davis,  Colonel. 

Another  letter  written  to  Fred's  mother  by  the  first  lieutenant  of 
his  company  reads  as  follows:  On  active  service  with  American 
Expeditionary  Forces,  Dec.  22,  1918.  Mrs.  Fred  Sanders,  Moro,  111. 
I  am  just  in  receipt  of  your  letter  in  regard  to  Fred  Sanders  of  this 
company.  I  sincerely  hope  by  the  time  this  letter  reaches  you  that 
you  will  have  been  apprised  of;  your  son's  death,  so  this  may  not  be 
a  shock  to  you.  Your  son  was  killed  Oct.  12,  1918,  in  the  Bois  de 
Faye,  north  of  Verdun,  along  the  Meuse  river.  He  died  just  as  you 
would  have  wished  him  to  die — every  inch  a  man  and  fighting  to  the 
last.  He  was  killed  in  a  surprise  attack  on  this  company  in  which 
he  and  two  others  of  our  men  were  killed.  He  was  a  big  favorite 
with  this  company  and  every  one  feels  his  death  very  keenly.  The 
entire  company  extends  its  hand  to  you  in  your  sorrow  and  I  do  cer- 
tainly hope  you  will  have  received  word  of  your  son  by  now.  Your 
son  is  buried  in  Boise  de  Faye.  Trusting  I  have  given  you  all  the 
information  you  desire,  and  disliking  very  much  to  convey  news  of 
this  kind,  I  am  respectfully  yours,  F.  M.  Dolven,  1st  Lieut.  132nd  In- 
fantry, Commanding  Co.  M. 


WILLIAM  H.  DETTMERS. 

William  H.  Dettmers,  son  of  George  and  Bertha  Dettmers.  was 
born  April  27,  1893,  in  Alton,  but  he  spent  his  youth  on  the  farm  that 
his  parents  purchased.  This  farm  is  located  four  miles  north  of 
Bethalto.  He  attended  the  Dorsey  school  until  he  reached  and  com- 
pleted the  Eighth  grade.  He  continued  to  assist  his  father  at  farm- 
ing until  he  left  for  the  army.  He  registered  in  June,  1917,  and  was 
called  to  the  colors  the  following  October. 

194 


He  went  to  Edwardsville  and  was  sworn  in  at  4  p.  m.  on  the  3rd 
of  October,  and  left  with  the  Edwardsville  contingent  the  next  morn- 
ing. Charles  Neunaber  and  others  from  around  here  went  at  the 
same  time.  He  went  to  Camp  Taylor,  where  the  84th  Division  was 
being  formed.  He  was  placed  in  Co.  A,  333rd  Infantry,  84th  or  Lin- 
coln Division.  The  duties  at  Camp  Taylor  were  varied ;  drilling, 
hiking  and  in  general  company  duty.  At  the  end  of  the  three  months 
Will  was  made  first  class  private.  He  went  to  mess  sergeant  school 
and  gas  and  flame  school  completing  the  work  of  both  before  he  left 
Camp  Taylor. 

On  June  8th  Will  left  Camp  Taylor  and  went  to  Camp  Sherman, 
Ohio,  where  part  of  the  84th  Division  was  located,  and  was  being  filled 
to  war  strength.  At  Camp  Sherman,  Ohio,  his  duties  were  practically 
the  same  as  those  at  Camp  Taylor,  until  he  became  company  supply 
sergeant.  His  pay  was  thus  increased  from  $33  a  month  to  $39  a 
month.       He  held  this  position  until  he  reached  Camp  Mills,  L.  I. 

On  Aug.  22nd  the  company  left  Camp  Sherman  for  Camp  Mills. 
They  had  received  their  O.  D.  uniforms  at  Camp  Sherman  and  at 
Camp  Mills  they  were  equipped  for  overseas  duty.  At  Camp  Mills 
Will  was  relieved  as  supply  sergeant  and  was  made  duty  sergeant,  thus 
holding  the  same  rank.  On  Aug.  31  the  company  left  Camp  Mills  for 
Hoboken,  N.  J.,  taking  a  train  to  Brooklyn  and  a  ferry  to  the  pier 
where  the  large  steamer  Baltic  lay  waiting.  They  remained  at  dock 
until  the  morning  of  September  1st,  when  they  sailed  into  the  harbor, 
starting  on  their  journey  across  on  Sunday  evening. 

The  convoy  of  troop  ships,  including  a  torpedo  boat  and  the  bat- 
tleship Montana,  passed  out  of  sight  of  land  at  6:30  in  the  evening. 
The  weather  was  calm  and  the  sea  as  smooth  as  glass  and  the  trip 
across  was  uneventful  except  that  a  submarine  was  sighted  when  they 
were  two  days  at  sea.  Eight  shots  were  fired  and  the  "sub"  disap- 
peared. The  rations  were  poor  and  the  trip  was  finally  accomplished. 
They  landed  at  Liverpool,  England,  on  the  13th  of  September. 

Upon  landing  they  entrained  at  once  for  Southampton  on  the 
southern  shore  of  England,  reaching  this  place  in  the  evening  of  the 
same  day,  and  went  into  camp  for  the  night.  They  had  two  meals 
while  they  were  there,  and  they  consisted  of  bread  and  bacon  but  no 
coffee.  The  following  evening  they  were  loaded  on  a  small  boat 
about  the  size  of  a  river  steamer  and  crossed  the  channel  during  the 
night.  The  boat  was  so  crowded  there  was  no  room  to  lie  down  and 
rest,  so  it  was  either  stand  up  and  sleep  or  stand  up  and  wake.  Again 
they  succeeded  in  crossing,  and  they  landed  at  La  Havre  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  hiked  to  and  up  the  bluffs  to  an  English  rest  camp,  a  camp  of 

195 


round  tents,  room  enough  for  eight,  but  Will  kept  company  with 
eleven  other  sergeants  in  the  same  tent.  Btu  they  had  but  a  short 
time  to  stay  at  this  camp  and  after  a  sleepless  night  the  usual  call  of 
"Roll  Packs"  was  heard  and  they  were  on  the  hike  again  and  back  to 
La  Havre  they  went  where  they  received  six  days'  rations  and  pre- 
pared for  a  long  box  car  ride  which  lasted  four  days  and  four  nights. 
They  went  as  far  as  Austier,  about  60  kilos  from  Bordeaux. 

Southern  France  was  occupied  by  the  84th  Division,  and  the  out- 
lying villages  were  soon  filled  with  American  soldiers.  Very  few 
sheds,  barns,  chicken  houses  and  the  like  remained  unoccupied  in  this 
neck  of  the  country.  From  St.  Austier  they  hiked  to  St.  Aquilan. 
about  15  kilos,  with  their  80  pound  packs.  Will  was  in  charge  of  17 
men  and  he  and  his  men  billeted  in  a  barn.  During  his  stay  he  had 
the  privilege  of  visiting  Charley  Neunaber's  abode,  which  consisted  of 
a  cow  barn.  Charley  was  also  in  charge  of  a  bunch  of  boys  and  the 
only  advantage  he  had  over  his  men  was  that  his  room  in  the  hotel 
was  a  manger.  At  this  place  the  boys  did  a  lot  of  drilling,  hiking, 
bayonet  practice,  gas  drills  and  the  like.  Here  they  practiced  going 
over  the  top  called  the  New  French  Formation.  While  there  Maj. 
Gen.  Hale  made  a  speech  to  the  333rd  Infantry  saying  they  would 
soon  go  to  the  lines  and  that  everybody  do  his  best  and  learn  all  he 
could  to  prepare  him  for  the  strenuous  duties  that  lay  before  him. 

On  October  14th  the  84th  Division  was  broke  up  or  skeletonized 
as  it  was  called.  There  were  taken  out  of  each  company  210  men, 
and  just  enough  men  left  to  hold  the  division.  They  hiked  back  to 
St.  Austier  after  eating  dinner.  They  had  drawn  six  days'  rations 
but  they  were  ordered  not  to  touch  them,  and  when  supper  time  came 
and  no  supper  the  boys  became  restless  and  when  they  were  loaded 
into  box  cars  at  the  rate  of  49  in  each  small  car  they  became  irritable. 
They  rode  all  night,  and  when  the  l)oys  received  no  breakfast  the  next 
morning  they  became  almost  mutinous.  It  was  not  until  noon  that 
the  boys  received  the  first  eats  since  they  had  left  St.  Aquilan. 

It  is  hardly  possible  to  imagine  how  the  boys  felt  when  the  train 
stopped  alongside  some  eating  sheds,  and  right  before  them  was  a 
spread  of  potatoes,  beefsteak,  coffee  and  the  like.  After  eating  corn 
beef  and  hard  tack  for  so  long  and  without  a  bite  to  eat  the  past  24 
hours,  this  beefsteak  and  potatoes  looked  too  good  and  many  had  to 
pinch  themselves  to  see  if  they  were  asleep  and  dreaming;  but  this 
was  of  only  an  hour's  duration  for  they  were  stowed  into  box  cars 
again  and  the  monotonous  ride  continued. 

They  were  destined  for  the  91st  division,  but  the  order  was 
changed  and  they  were  sent  to  the  35th  Division.       They  rode  five 

196 


days  and  five  nights  and  a  long  and  liixxmie  ride  it  was  with  49  men 
in  a  car.  One  half  had  to  stand  while  the  other  half  slept.  At  one 
time  on  their  way  they  quelled  a  disturbance  caused  by  some  thinking 
they  were  not  properly  treated,  when  in  reality  no  one  was  treated 
like  he  should  have  been.  They  finally  reached  the  end  of  the  line. 
On  their  way  they  stopped  at  one  i)lace  long  enough  to  go  through  a 
gas  house  to  test  their  gas  masks.  When  they  reached  the  end  of 
their  journey  they  started  on  their  15  kilos  hike  to  the  35th  Division 
that  was  stationed  somewhere  in  the  woods.  This  Division  had 
come  from  the  front ;  they  had  lost  many  of  their  efTectives  and  were 
ready  to  have  their  ranks  filled  by  these  new  men  from  the  84th 
Division.  They  pitched  their  "pup"  tents  for  the  first  time,  went  to 
bed  in  the  rain  without  supper,  crawled  out  of  their  tents  in  the  morn- 
ing to  find  no  breakfast  for  them,  but  rain,  more  rain  ;  here  they  had 
the  first  experience  of  rain  in  France.  They  were  separated  here  and 
put  into  difi'erent  companies  and  by  eleven  o'clock  that  day  they  re- 
ceived their  first  meal.  They  were  near  the  Argonne  and  when  they 
got  off  the  train  they  saw  the  first  flashes  of  the  Germans'  guns,  and 
heard  the  roar  of  their  cannon. 

Will  was  put  in  Co.  F,  138th  Infantry,  and  as  a  sergeant  was 
second  in  command  of  the  3rd  platoon.  He  was  called  right  guide. 
They  had  supper  about  5  p.  m.  and  the  second  lieutenant  who  was  in 
command  gave  them  a  nice  talk — it  seemed  so  at  least  to  the  new  boys, 
but  the  old  ones  simply  smiled  for  they  knew  better.  He  told  them 
that  they  had  an  8  kilos  hike  before  them,  where  they  would  all  be 
billeted  in  small  villages  so  he  ordered  them  to  once  more  roll  packs 
and  start,  and  by  5  :30  that  afternoon  they  started  on  their  8  kilo  hike, 
and  instead  of  billeting  in  nice  little  villages  they  were  headed  straight 
for  the  first  line  trenches.  They  would  hike  50  minutes  and  rest  10 
minutes.  Every  soldier  who  reads  this  will  have  brought  back  to  him 
some  memorable  experiences.  Fifty  minutes  hike,  ten  minutes  rest, 
became  a  familiar  term  with  the  boys.  At  one  place  they  got  lost 
on  account  of  the  awful  darkness ;  with  rain  pouring  down  all  the  time 
it  was  a  tiresome  journey  and  when  they  had  a  15  minutes  rest  at 
8:30  Will  from  sheer  exhaustion  went  to  sleep  while  sitting  on  the 
butt  of  his  gun. 

Every  soldier  has  had  some  hike  some  time  and  this  was  Will's 
hike,  but  he  stayed  with  it  and  so  did  all  the  new  bunch,  but  the  old 
ones  had  remained  behind  somewhere  during  the  night  and  they  came 
straggling  in  the  next  day.  Their  second  lieutenant  who  had  told 
them  such  a  wonderful  story  about  the  nice  little  hike  they  were  go- 
ing to  have  remained  with  them.     He  was  plucky  and  complimented 

197 


the  new  boys  for  being  such  hikers.  They  reached  their  destination 
at  5  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  they  were  ordered  to  rest,  so  Will  and 
Sergeant  Brockmeyer,  who  was  with  him,  unrolled  their  packs  and 
right  in  the  open,  rain  or  no  rain,  they  slept  until  2  o'clock  that  after- 
noon when  they  were  called  to  dinner  which  consisted  of  turnips, 
pumpkin,  beef,  slum,  etc.  and  their  hunger  was  once  more  appeased, 
for  they  had  orders  not  to  touch  their  reserve  rations. 

After  dinner  when  the  stragglers  had  caught  up  they  formed  on 
a  rock  road  each  one  half  platoon  of  about  32  men  and  the  platoons 
about  50  yards  apart.  They  hiked  until  midnight  when  they  came  up 
to  the  lines.  Here  they  stopped  and  slept  in  dugouts  while  the  flares 
of  all  colors  could  be  seen  issuing  from  the  German's  lines. 

This  was  about  the  middle  of  October.  After  a  good  night's 
sleep  in  the  Company  Commander's  dugout,  which  consisted  of  a  kind 
of  a  cave  where  shells  could  do  no  damage,  although  flying  all  night. 
They  were  now  at  company's  headquarters.  Early  next  morning  they 
took  a  section  of  a  sector  of  a  trench ;  here  Will,  with  Sergeant  Good- 
win of  St.  Louis,  who  was  in  command  of  the  boys  in  the  trench,  had 
his  first  experience  in  trench  warfare. 

Sergeant  Goodwin  had  been  in  the  trenches  before  and  the  mud 
and  dirt  had  finally  got  the  best  of  him,  and  he  became  sick  so  Will 
had  to  take  charge,  thus  being  put  in  command  of  the  whole  platoon. 
During  these  three  days  of  trench  life  Will  also  experienced  his  first 
gas  attack.  At  one  o'clock  at  night  a  sort  of  sneezing  gas  crept 
down  their  trench ;  but  the  rattler  used  by  the  man  on  guard  prevented 
much  damage.  Some  of  the  guards  used  Klaxon  horns,  some  tri- 
angles, but  Will's  platoon  was  equipped  with  an  instrument  called  a 
rattler,  with  which  every  soldier  soon  became  familiar.  The  object 
of  this  gas  was  to  create  sneezing,  thus  locating  the  camouflaged 
trenches. 

Their  trench  was  at  the  foot  of  a  high  embankment  that  had 
been  poorly  kept.  The  embankment  had  formerly  been  used  for  a 
railroad  track  but  was  now  all  torn  up  by  the  shells.  The  French 
had  made  these  trenches,  but  had  failed  to  keep  them  clean.  The 
mud  about  two  feet  deep  was  simply  intolerable  but  the  boys  did  not 
remain  long  enough  to  clean  out  the  mud. 

Sergeant  Goodwin  had  been  in  the  trenches  from  the  26th  of  Sep- 
tember to  the  first  of  October,  and  was  unable  to  do  anything,  so  Will, 
being  in  charge,  remained  on  duty  day  and  night  until  they  were  re- 
lieved. This  was  supposed  to  be  a  quiet  sector,  but  if  this  was  a 
quiet  sector  Will  wondered  what  a  lively  sector  would  seem  like ;  for 
the  artillery  and  machine  gun  bullets  flew  all  the  time  cutting  the  grass 

198 


as  if  mown  by  a  reaper.  At  the  end  of  the  third  day  Will  and  four 
privates  received  orders  to  report  at  P.  C. — Post  Command.  They 
rolled  their  packs  and  in  this  scramble  Will  had  the  good  fortune  of 
getting  a  blanket  belonging  to  one  of  the  privates  which  caused  him 
to  receive  an  involuntary  introduction  to  the  cootie. 

All  fagged  out,  they  reached  headquarters  where  they  remained 
until  3  p.  m.  and  getting  a  good  fill  of  rice,  doughnuts,  and  French  hard 
tack.  Real  hunger  had  set  in  and  this  meal  was  sure  appreciated.  A 
2nd  lieutenant  took  the  boys  to  the  140th  Inf.,  Co.  M,  of  the  35th 
Division,  and  Will  took  charge  of  a  platoon.  The  140th  was  in  re- 
serve at  the  time.  .  They  reached  the  place  about  midnight,  4  kilos 
back  of  the  front  lines,  but  near  enough  for  the  big  shells  to  scatter 
his  crowd  now  and  then.  At  4  p.  m.  the  next  day  Will  and  another 
sergeant  got  orders  to  join  Co.  D.  who  were  holding  the  front  line 
trenches  which  was  blocked  off  into  four  sections.  Will  was  put  in 
charge  of  one  corporal  and  20  men  at  G.  C.  4.,  G.  C.  meaning  guard 
command.  They  were  now  in  the  Somme  Dieu  Sector.  It  was  truly 
No  Man's  Land.  They  could  see  the  beautiful  Metz-Verdun  road. 
A  short  distance  to  their  right  lay  what  had  once  been  the  beautiful 
town  of  Waternville ;  but  now  all  wrecked  by  the  many  thousand 
shells  that  had  been  sent  into  the  town ;  for  the  enemy  supposed  the 
Americans  had  been  making  this  their  stopping  place.  They  could 
see  the  gas  shells  falling  continually  among  the  ruins  but  there  were 
no  soldiers  there  to  receive  this  deadly  poison.  They  were  in  these 
muddy  trenches  seven  days  and  seven  nights.  Here  Will  had  his 
first  experience  in  dressing  the  wounds  of  a  soldier  who  was  shot 
while  in  these  trenches.  During  these  trying  hours  they  received  but 
two  meals  a  day,  which  consisted  of  bacon  and  rice.  At  9  a.  m.  and 
at  4  p.  m.  a  detail  was  sent  out  to  get  rations,  and  it  was  difficult  to  get 
the  detail  for  it  was  dangerous  to  make  the  trip.  The  French  had 
held  these  trenches  and  had  left  them  in  an  awful  condition  but  the 
Americans  succeeded  in  cleaning  out  the  filth  and  mud  to  some  ex- 
tent, thus  making  them  more  habitable. 

While  in  these  trenches  Will  saw  Germans  about  2000  yards  away 
placing  machine  guns ;  he  also  saw  an  American  aeroplane  shoot  down 
a  German  aeroplane,  killing  both  occupants  in  the  machine.  They 
were  high  in  the  air  and  it  was  impossible  to  ascertain  who  was  the 
successful  combatant  until  the  victor  flew  back  toward  the  American 
lines.  Later  the  two  who  had  downed  the  German  machine  came  to 
their  trench  and  tried  to  find  the  machine  that  had  fallen  within  the 
American  lines,  but  they  were  so  near  the  Germans  that  they  left  as 


199 


quickly  as  possible,  for  they  had  no  guns,  no  masks,  and  no  protec- 
tion whatever.  During  the  night  some  American  officers  located 
the  machine  and  found  that  both  occupants  had  been  killed. 

At  the  end  of  seven  days  they  were  relieved  by  Co.  L.  They  had 
barely  left  the  trenches  when  the  Germans  poured  3,200  gas  shells  into 
Co.  L.  This  mustard  gas  produced  a  pitiful  sight.  Thirty  of  these 
gassed  came  into  camp  sadly  disfigured  for  life.  After  Will  was  re- 
lieved he  stayed  in  a  dugout  60  feet  deep,  some  sort  of  a  natural  cave. 
For  seven  days  Will  remained  back  of  the  lines  but  it  meant  no  rest 
for  him  for  they  had  to  drill  under  a  large  camouflaged  place,  for  many 
of  the  soldiers  knew  very  little  if  any  about  gas  masks.  Some  did  not 
know  how  to  put  them  on,  some  did  not  even  know  how  to  load  a  rifle. 
This  seems  strange,  but  too  true.  It  was  not  known  how  they  could 
have  been  rushed  to  the  front  in  such  a  condition. 

At  the  end  of  seven  days  they  went  back  to  the  lines  for  a  few 
days  when  the  Division  was  relieved  by  the  82nd  Division,  known  as 
the  "Wild  Cat"  Division.  The  name  sure  suited  them  for  they  were 
all  dare  devils,  caring  nothing  whether  a  noise  was  made  or  a  match 
was  lighted.  They  were  cautioned  by  the  officers  of  the  35th 
Division  to  keep  quiet  but  it  did  little  good  and  the  35th  left  the  82nd 
in  charge.  They  had  hardly  reached  the  trenches  when  they  rushed 
into  the  enemy.  They  were  dare  devils,  but  they  paid  dear  for  this 
episode,  for  they  lost  many  of  their  brave  men  in  this  unprepared  on- 
rush. 

The  35th  Division  left  this  section  and  went  southeast  preparing 
for  the  Metz  drive.  They  hiked  all  the  way,  always  under  shell  fire, 
through  many  a  torn  up  town.  They  went  through  places  where 
helmets  could  be  counted  by  the  carload,  each  helmet  had  once  pro- 
tected some  loved  one ;  for  on  and  around  Dead  Man's  Hill  many  a 
brave  son  had  fought  his  last  battle.  They  remained  in  Verdun  one 
day  for  a  rest  and  continued  their  journey,  always  traveling  at  night 
for  they  were  always  within  range  of  the  large  guns.  At  one  place 
they  had  barely  left  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building  when  a  shell  of  large  caliber 
fell  squarely  on  the  building  killing  17  American  soldiers.  They 
reached  Lens  in  the  St.  Mihiel  Triangle  where  they  remained  until  4 
p.  m.  the  next  day,  then  hiked  all  night  to  a  town  called  Rupt,  south 
of  Metz,  and  about  10  kilos  from  St.  Mihiel.  Here  they  found  the 
French  just  moving  back  into  town  and  trying  to  repair  some  of  their 
homes.  Here  Will  got  his  first  chance  at  some  bitter  chocolate  but  it 
tasted  sweet  to  him.  Here  they  had  some  hard  drilling  preparatory 
to  the  Metz  drive  for  they  were  by  this  time  going  pretty  well  into  the 
month  of  November.      On  the  10th  orders  were  given  to  "roll  packs" 

200 


at  2  p.  m.,  ready  to  leave  at  5:15,  the  designated  hour  to  leave;  all 
was  ready  and  when  they  were  ready  to  leave  at  5:15  orders  came 
to  hold  the  boys.  They  unrolled  their  packs  and  the  next  morning 
order  to  "roll  packs"  once  more  came  to  the  boys ;  they  waited  with 
their  packs  rolled  until  9  a.  m.  when  they  were  ordered  to  go  back  and 
drill.  During  the  time  of  their  drilling  the  large  cannon  could  be 
continually  heard  above  all  the  noise,  when  just  at  11  o'clock  the  can- 
nonading ceased,  causing  an  exciting  stillness  ;  for  they  knew  what  had 
happened,  for  a  fevv^  hours  later,  at  4  p.  m.  the  real  news  came  and  the 
celebration  began.  The  weather  was  cold  and  they  were  billeted  in  a 
barn  where  the  warmth  of  the  horses  kept  them  from  freezing.. 

After  the  armistice  was  signed  everybody  wanted  to  go  home; 
but  instead  of  going  home  they  drilled  9  hours  a  day.  They  remained 
in  Rupt  about  three  weeks  and  then  went  to  Bondercourt,  a  small 
village  near  St.  Mihiel.  They  remained  at  Bondecourt  about  two 
months.  All  sorts  of  reports  about  going  home  came  in  but  they 
were  all  false  reports  and  each  morning  saw  the  boys  on  the  drill 
ground  with  their  happiness  all  gone. 

At  Bondecourt  they  paraded  for  Gen.  Pershing,  who  also  made 
them  a  fine  talk.  The  Prince  of  Wales  and  his  staff  were  also  there.  On 
February  1  Will  was  transferred  from  Co.  M,  140th  Inf.,  to  Co.  H, 
139th  Infantry,  and  went  to  Enville,  a  little  south  of  Bondercourt. 
Here  he  remained  until  they  started  for  an  embarkation  camp.  They 
hiked  to  Loerville  and  then  got  in  real  American  box  cars  for  another 
ride.  They  rode  to  La  Mons  where  the  boys  went  on  a  rifle  range 
and  completed  a  course  in  firing.  Will  made  eight  bulls-eyes  out  of 
10  at  600  yards,  but  no  sharpshooter's  badges  were  g:iven,  although 
he  qualified.  They  were  at  La  Mons  about  two  weeks  when  they 
once  more  took  to  the  box  cars  for  their  final  ride.  They  went  to  St. 
Nazaire,  where  they  had  daily  inspection  and  daily  parades.  Here 
they  were  beginning  to  live  again.  They  went  through  the  delouser 
twice,  lived  in  pretty  good  barracks  and  v/cre  able  to  keep  clean.  They 
remained  at  St.  Nazaire  about  five  weeks  until  the  15th  of  April,  when 
they  set  sail  for  America  on  the  U.  S.  Matsonia.  This  was  a  happy 
day  and  the  boys  could  not  keep  quiet  and  many  were  sent  back  for 
punishment,  simply  because  they  had  shouted  too  much  in  the  pres- 
ence of  officers — officers  who  had  never  seen  a  trench — officers  who 
had  never  heard  a  cannon — officers  not  like  those  who  had  been  with 
them,  had  seen  their  misery ;  for  those  officers  such  as  Captain  Lud- 
low and  others  would  have  helped  out  in  the  noise,  for  Captain  Ludlow 
was  a  prince  among  men.  If  the  enemy  would  have  had  officers  like 
Captain  Ludlow  the  entire  world  would  never  have  defeated  them. 

201 


But  Captain  Ludlow  and  his  kind  were  not  in  command  at  St. 
Nazaire,  and  the  boys  had  to  keep  quiet  until  they  were  out  of  hearing 
distance. 

They  were  on  the  water  ten  days.  Will  was  not  seasick  and  felt 
fine  when  they  landed  at  Newport  News,  Va.,  on  the  25th  of  April, 
1919.  He  remained  there  a  week,  leaving  his  comrades,  some  to  go 
here,  some  there.  He  rode  to  Chicago  in  a  real  American  Pullman 
sleeper.  The  Red  Cross  fed  the  boys  at  Cincinnati.  They  stopped 
at  Chicago  for  an  hour,  reaching  Camp  Grant  on  the  first  of  May. 
He  was  discharged  on  the  second  and  reached  home  on  the  third. 

Following  is  his  discharge  and  enlistment  record : 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  William  H. 
Dettmers,  1975869,  Sergeant  Co.  H,  139th  Infantry,  35th  Division, 
Infantry  unassigned,  last  assigned,  the  United  States  Army,  as  a  tes- 
timonial of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby  honorably  discharged 
from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States  by  reason  of  conven- 
ience of  government.  Per  Cir.  106,  W.  D.  1918.  Said  William  H. 
Dettmers  was  born  in  Alton  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  When  enlisted 
he  was  24  years  of  age  and  by  occupation  a  farmer.  He  had  grey 
eyes,  brown  hair,  dark  complexion,  and  was  5  feet  4  1-2  inches  in 
height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp  Grant,  Illinois,  this  2nd  day 
of  May,  1919.  Frank  J.  Clendeum,  Major  Inf.  U.  S.  A.,  Command- 
ing. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  William  H.  Dettmers.  Grade:  Sergeant.  Enlisted  or 
inducted  October  3,  1917,  at  Edwardsville,  III,  serving  in  first  enlist- 
ment period  at  date  of  discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Noncom- 
missioned officer:  Sergeant  July  16th,  1918.  Marksmanship,  gun- 
ner qualification,  or  rating:  Not  qualified.  Horsemanship:  Not 
mounted.  Battles,  skirmishes,  expeditions:  Verdun  Sector  Oct.  16 
to  Nov.  6,  1918.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation:  Farmer.  Wounds 
received  in  service:  None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged: 
Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed:  March  28,  1918.  Para- 
typhoid prophylaxis  completed  :  March  28,  1918.  Married  or  single : 
Single.  Character:  Excellent.  Remarks:  Entitled  to  travel  pay. 
Signature  of  soldier:  William  H.  Dettmers.  Virgil  D.  Jones,  1st 
Lieut.  Inf.  U.  S.  A.,  Commanding  Gas  Det.  2nd  Bn.  Camp  Grant,  111., 
May  2,  1919.  Paid  in  full :  $114.78,  including  bonus  of  $60.00,  Act  of 
Feb.  24,  1919.      S.  H.  Francis,  Captain  Quartermaster  Corps. 

202 


BEN  T.  ALBERS. 

Ben  T.  Albers,  son  of  Enoch  and  Tena  Albcrs,  was  born  in  Bige- 
low,  Minn.,  April  11,  1895.  The  Albers  family  have  always  lived 
around  Bethalto,  and  when  Ben  was  six  years  of  age  Enoch  Albers 
and  family  returned  from  Minnesota  and  moved  back  to  Bethalto, 
where  they  purchased  a  farm  north  of  Bethalto.  Ben  attended  the  Lu- 
man  school  for  a  while,  and  when  a  little  later  they  were  transferred 
to  the  Bethalto  school  district  on  account  of  the  inconvenience  in  go- 
ing to  the  Luman  school,  Ben  went  to  school  at  Bethalto  for  a  while, 
completing  the  Fifth  grade  work  there.  After  his  school  years  he 
worked  at  home  for  a  while  besides  working  on  the  farm  for  the 
neighbors.  He  was  employed  by  John  Nolte,  south  of  Bethalto,  in 
June,  1917,  which  caused  him  to  register  in  Fort  Russell  District; 
but  he  did  not  leave  for  camp  until  June  1,  1918,  when  he  left  Ed- 
wardsville  in  company  with  John  Balster  and  John  Reinke. 

He  arrived  at  Fort  Thomas,  Ky.,  the  next  day  and  was  there  but 
three  days  when  he  was  sent  to  Camp  Sheridan,  where  he  was  placed 
in  Co.  E,  46th  Infantry,  Ninth  Division.  He  was  in  this  company 
four  months,  after  which  time  he  was  transferred  to  the  46th  Supply 
Co.,  Ninth  Division.  His  duty  consisted  principally  of  keeping  track 
of  clothing,  but  he  did  a  great  deal  of  guard  duty  and  what  is  termed 
fatigue  duty.  At  the  end  of  four  months  he  was  made  wagoner  and 
from  that  time  on  he  did  stable  guard  at  Camp  Sheridan.  Ben,  like 
others,  had  his  greatest  trouble  in  being  sick ;  he  had  "flu"  pretty 
bad  for  three  weeks.  Ben  was  a  wagoner  from  January  until  the 
time  he  was  discharged,  July  22nd,  1919. 

Following  is  his  discharge  and  enlistment  record : 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Ben  T, 
Albers,  428482,  wagoner,  unassigned,  last  assigned  46th  Inf.,  the 
United  States  Army  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is 
hereby  honorably  discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United 
States  by  reason  of  expiration  of  term  of  service.  Per  S.  O.  202 
Hq.  C.  Z.  T.,  Ky.,  July  21,  1919. 

Said  Ben  T.  Albers  was  born  in  Racine,  in  the  State  of  Minnesota. 
When  enlisted  he  was  23  1-12  years  of  age  and  by  occupation  a  farmer, 
He  had  gray  eyes,  brown  hair,  ruddy  complexion,  and  was  5  feet  9 
inches  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp  Zachary  Taylor, 
Ky.,  this  22nd  of  July,  1919.  Hans  Elinger,  Major  F.  A.,  U.  S.  A., 
Commanding. 

203 


ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  Ben  T.  Albers.  Grade:  Wagoner.  Inducted  June  1, 
1918,  at  Edwardsville,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at  date 
of  discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Non-commissioned  officer : 
Never.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating:  Not  quali- 
fied. Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements, 
skirmishes,  expeditions :  None.  Citations,  decorations,  medals, 
badges :  None.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation :  Farming.  Wounds 
received  in  service :  None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged : 
Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed  :  June  22,  1918.  Paratyphoid 
prophylaxis  completed :  June  22,  1918.  Married  or  single :  Single. 
Character :  Excellent.  Remarks :  Last  assigned  Supply  Co.  46th 
Inf.  Signature  of  soldier:  Ben  T.  Albers.  J.  W.  McCormick,  Capt. 
Inf.  U.  S.  A.,  Commanding  Casual  Det.  Entitled  to  travel  pay  to  Ed- 
vv^ardsville.  111.      Bonus  of  $60.00,  paid  by  F.  L.  St.  Claire,  Q.  M.  C. 


GUSTAVE  H.  BANGERT. 

Gustave  H.  Bangert,  son  of  Fred  and  Amelia  Bangert,  \yas  born 
in  Fort  Russell  Township  about  four  miles  south  of  Bethalto,  Dec. 
3,  1892.  His  parents  lived  on  a  farm  in  the  Oak  Grove  District  and 
there  is  where  Gus  received  his  education,  completing  his  Eighth 
grade  work.  He  remained  at  home  until  he  was  about  20  years  old 
when  he  went  to  work  for  the  Standard  Oil  Company  at  Wood  River. 
Shortly  afterward  the  family  left  the  farm  and  also  moved  to  Wood 
River  where  Gus  registered  for  the  draft  in  June,  1917. 

He  was  called  to  the  colors  Oct.  3,  1917,  leaving  Alton  for  Camp 
Taylor,  where  he  was  placed  in  Co.  D,  333rd  Infantry.  He  was 
placed  in  the  same  company  with  George  Bowman  and  hence  his  duties 
were  the  same  which  will  not  be  mentioned  here.  He  left  the  same 
time  that  the  others  did,  namely,  April  5,  1918,  for  Camp  Logan,  Tex. 
Here  he  was  placed  in  Co.  E,  132nd  Infantry  33rd  Division.  Ed. 
Bangert,  his  cousin,  left  Camp  Taylor  on  the  same  day  and  was  placed 
in  the  same  company ;  hence  the  history  of  these  boys  runs  somewhat 
the  same. 

Gus  was  with  Ed.  a  great  deal  of  the  time.  He  shared  with  him 
the  joys,  trials,  and  troubles.  He  traveled  the  same  route  and  the 
history  need  not  be  repeated.  They  remained  together  until  the  8th 
of  August.  In  the  meantime  Gus  had  traveled  a  great  deal  and  we 
find  him  on  the  Albert  Front  in  reserve  and  very  near  the  firing  line. 
We  find  him  on  the  8th  of  August  with  a  squad  carrying  rations  to 

204 


the  boys  in  the  trenches.  Gus  was  not  with  George  or  Ed.  at  this 
time,  for  he  was  in  the  4th  Platoon  while  George  and  Ed.  were  in  the 
third. 

On  the  morning  of  the  8th  of  August,  while  Gus  with  his  squad 
were  carrying  rations,  a  gas  shell  fell  near  them,  just  a  few  feet  from 
them  and  the  mustard  gas  that  was  emitted  from  the  shell  crept  into 
their  eyes.  The  entire  squad  got  it  at  once.  There  was  no  time  for 
gas  masks,  besides  it  was  not  noticeable  at  first  and  they  continued 
with  their  load  and  delivered  it  but  by  evening  the  pain  became  un- 
bearable and  the  whole  bunch  went  to  the  hospital.  The  shell  had 
come  unexpected  and  they  were  not  prepared ;  however  they  put  on 
their  gas  masks  for  many  more  gas  shells  exploded  arovmd  them. 
They  were  sent  to  Battalion  Headquarters,  to  the  British  First  Aid 
Station  near,  where  their  eyes  were  treated  and  bandaged.  The  v>rorst 
symptom  of  the  gas  was  the  very  sick  feeling  and  the  vomiting.  He 
was  tagged  at  this  hospital  and  for  an  ambulance  for  his  eyes  were 
soon  closed. 

Wounded  and  gassed  were  coming  in  thick  and  fast  by  this  time 
but  Gus  had  only  a  short  time  to  wait.  He  was  sent  by  ambulance 
to  a  railroad  station  and  from  there  to  Rohen  where  he  remained  in 
an  English  hospital  three  days  and  was  then  picked  up  and  sent  with 
many  others  across  the  channel,  landing  at  Southampton,  from  where 
he  was  sent  to  Portsmouth  in  a  hospital  train.  A  fine  American 
hospital  was  located  at  Portsmouth,  and  the  many  gassed  and 
wounded  w^ere  well  taken  care  of. 

By  Sept.  20th  Gus,  although  weak,  desired  to  go  back  to  his 
company  and  he  took  examination,  passed  all  O.  K.  and  then  went  to 
Winchester,  where  a  replacement  camp  was  located,  and  where  he  re- 
mained three  days  and  once  more  crossed  the  channel,  landing  in 
France  on  a  Sunday  morning  for  the  second  time.  A  few  others 
went  with  Gus ;  they  were  well  enough  to  go,  but  several  had  to  re- 
main, for  the  gas  affected  some  worse  than  others. 

Landing  at  La  Havre,  and  after  remaining  at  La  Havre  one  day, 
they  were  loaded  into  French  box  cars  and  traveled  two  days  and  two 
nights  to  St.  Aignan,  where  the  boys  remained  four  days ;  after  that 
they  rode  on  a  passenger  train  to  the  Verdun  front  where  the  boys 
were  by  this  time  continually  in  the  fight,  for  the  7th  of  October  had 
been  reached  and  the  33rd  Division  had  gone  pretty  far  into  the 
Argonne  and  were  still  going  v/hen  Gus  got  back. 

Gus  waited  two  days  at  the  Supply  Company  and  after  that  he 
was  sent  forward,  reaching  his  company  on  the  10th  of  October. 
What  he  saw  upon  reaching  his  com.pany  was  pitiful.       About  35 

205 


were  all  that  was  left.  He  met  George  Bowman,  and  although  he 
looked  jaded,  worn,  ragged  and  miserable,  he  was  cheerful,  for  he 
had  come  out  of  the  40-day  fire  unscratched.  He  learned  then  that 
his  cousin  Ed.  had  been  wounded.  He  learned  also  of  the  fate  of 
those  who  were  not  in  the  company  any  more.  On  account  of  his 
condition  he  had  been  unable  to  be  with  them.  He  thought  of  the 
many  in  his  company  who  had  fared  worse  than  he  had.  He  thought 
of  the  many  whom  he  never  could  see  again.  The  boys  were  just 
coming  out  of  the  fighting  when  Gus  had  caught  up  with  them.  They 
did  not  have  enough  left  to  continue  the  fight,  so  they  withdrew  and 
were  sent  to  the  St.  Mihiel  Sector,  30  miles  south  of  Metz. 

While  going  to  the  St.  Mihiel  Sector  Gus  met  Charley  Neunaber, 
who  was  in  the  35th  Division,  having  been  transferred  from  the  84th 
Division.  The  boys  remained  there  until  the  7th  of  De- 
cember, when  they  hiked  into  Germany,  but  soon  returned  to 
Luxemberg,  where  they  remained  until  the  25th  of  April,  1919. 
They  left  for  home  on  the  25th,  reached  Brest  on  the  29th,  crossed  the 
water  on  the  Mount  Vernon,  reaching  Hoboken  on  the  16th  of  May. 
From  Hoboken  they  went  to  Camp  Mills,  from  Camp  Mills  to  Chi- 
cago, where  they  paraded ;  from  Chicago  to  Camp  Grant,  where  they 
received  their  discharge  on  the  31st  of  May,  and  reaching  home  on 
Sunday,  June  1,  1919. 

Many  incidents  could  be  mentioned  but  space  forbids.  On  the 
first  of  April  Gus  had  a  week's  furlough,  spending  his  time  near  the 
southern  border  of  Switzerland.  While  going  from  Allory  to  Oise- 
mont  he  met  Fred  Hassman  who  was  with  the  Twelfth  Engineers. 
Ed.  Bangert  reached  the  company  about  the  first  of  January  and  re- 
mained with  the  boys  until  they  were  discharged. 

Following  is  his  discharge  and  enlistment  record: 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 
To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Gustave  H. 
Bangert,  1976148,  Corporal  Co.  E,  132nd  Infantry,  the  United  States 
Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby  honor- 
ably discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States,  by 
reason  of  convenience  of  the  government,  per  Circular  106  War  Dept., 
1919.  Said  Gustave  H.  Bangert  was  born  in  Madison  County  in  the 
State  of  Illinois.  When  enlisted  he  was  25  years  of  age  and  by 
occupation  a  stillman.  He  had  blue  eyes,  brown  hair,  fair  com- 
plexion and  was  5  feet  7  1-2  inches  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand 
at  Camp  Grant,  111.,  May  31st,  1919.  Paul  C.  Gale,  Major  Inf. 
U.  S.  A.,  Commanding. 

206 


ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 
Name :  Gustave  H.  Bangert.  Grade :  Corporal.  Inducted  Oct. 
4,  1917  at  Alton,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at  date  of  his 
discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Non-commissioned  officer:  May 
22,  1919.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating:  Not  rated. 
Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes,  ex- 
peditions :  Amiens  Sector,  Hamel  Woods,  July  4,  1918.  Army  of 
Occupation  Dec.  12-18  to  April  12-19.  Hamel  Woods:  Aug.  8, 
1918.  Wounds  received  in  service : .  Knowledge  of  any  voca- 
tion :  Stillman.  Physical  condition  when  discharged :  Good. 
Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed:  11-1-17.  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis 
completed:  11-1-17.  IMarried  or  single:  Single.  Character:  Ex- 
cellent. Chas.  E.  Davaum,  1st  Lieut.,  161  D.  B.,  Commanding.  Camp 
Grant,  111.,  May  30,  1919.  Paid  in  full,  $106.93,  including  bonus  of 
$60.00,  Act  of  Feb.  24,  1919.     S.  H.  Francis,  Capt.  Q.  M.  C. 


ALBERT  EUGENE  KAYSER 

Albert  Eugene  Kayser,  son  of  Charles  F.  and  Sophia  C.  Kayser, 
was  born  in  Fort  Russell  Township,  at  Liberty  Prairie,  about  four 
miles  east  of  Bethalto,  February  29,  1896.  Pie  was  raised  on  the 
farm  and  attended  the  Liberty  Prairie  school  until  he  completed  the 
Eighth  grade.  After  graduating  he  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm. 
He  registered  for  the  draft  in  June,  1917,  but  was  not  called  until 
February  23rd,  1918,  when  he  left  Edwardsville  for  Camp  Taylor  the 
next  morning.  Although  many  left  Edwardsville  for  Camp  Taylor 
at  the  same  time,  only  Reinhard  Kruckeburg  left  with  Albert  from 
this  neighborhood.  Paul  Johnson,  of  Dorsey,  with  whom  Albert 
associated  later,  became  acquainted  with  Albert  on  account  of  both 
having  been  quarantined  and  detained  while  the  other  associates  and 
friends  went  ahead  of  them. 

Albert  was  placed  in  the  159th  Depot  Brigade,  17th  Company,  but 
was  later  on  transferred  to  the  4th  Company  and  remained  in  this 
company  but  four  days  when  on  the  30th  of  April  he  left  Camp  Taylor 
for  Camp  Gordon.  While  at  Camp  Taylor  measles  broke  out  in  his 
company  and  Albert  was  quarantined  for  three  weeks  and  on  account 
of  a  tuberculosis  scare  he  was  detained  three  weeks  longer ;  thus  it 
happened  that  his  friends  left  Albert,  some  80  in  number.  After  he 
had  been  placed  in  the  4th  company,  159th  Depot  Brigade,  Albert  was 
sent  to  Camp  Gordon,  Georgia,  this  camp  being  near  Atlanta.  He 
was  placed  in  the  335th  Infantry,  Co.  H  of  the  Second  Replacement 
Battalion.  He  remained  in  Co.  H  about  a  week  when  he  was  placed 
in  the  20th  company  of  the  5th  Replacement  Battalion. 
207 


On  the  24th  of  May  he  was  sent  from  Camp  Gordon  to  Camp 
McClellan,  Alabama,  near  Anniston.  At  Camp  McClellan  he  was 
placed  in  Co.  B  113th  Infantry,  where  he  remained  until  the  3rd  of 
June,  when  he  was  sent  to  Camp  Stuart,  Va.  When  they  started  from 
Camp  McClellan  they  headed  for  Camp  Merritt,  N.  J.,  but  got  only 
as  far  as' Camp  Stuart,  where  they  did  some  drilling  and  company 
duty,  but  for  a  short  time  only,  for  they  were  ready  to  leave  by  the 
13th  of  June.  At  Camp  Gordon  they  had  received  their  O.  D.  uni- 
forms and  at  Camp  McClellan  they  received  their  full  overseas  equip- 
ment.      By  June  15th  they  left  Newport  News  for  the  trip  across. 

During  the  months  of  May  and  June  Albert  had  been  at  Camp 
Taylor,  Camp  Gordon,  Camp  McClellan  and  Camp  Stuart ;  and  by  the 
middle  of  June  he  was  ready  to  cross.  It  is  plainly  seen  here  that 
Albert  received  but  little  training,  but  what  he  did  get  was  of  the 
fiercest  kind  for  much  had  to  be  done  in  this  short  space  of  time. 

They  sailed  on  the  Princess  Matokia,  an  interned  German 
freighter;  she  was  at  this  time  under  American  command,  and  thus 
the  treatment  the  boys  received  was  good  compared  to  the  treatment 
of  others  who  crossed  on  other  vessels.  Although  they  received  but 
two  m.eals  a  day  the  rations  were  clean,  and  Albert  crossed  the  waters 
without  experiencing  any  seasickness. 

They  landed  at  Brest  on  the  27th  of  June  and  remained  there  until 
they  entrained  on  July  1st  in  French  coaches  for  some  inland  town,  for 
they  rode  a  day  and  a  half,  stopped  at  Percy-Le-Petite  where  they 
remained  for  three  weeks  and  drilled  and  hiked  and  had  target  prac- 
tice and  bayonet  drills.  From  Percy-Le-Petite  they  went  to  Belfort, 
near  the  Switzerland  border,  riding  in  box  cars  two  days  and  two 
nights.  From  Belfort  they  hiked  to  Danutine  where  they  had  more 
intensive  drilling  and  hiking,  thus  making  preparations  to  become 
units  for  the  big  front.  They  were  far  east  and  were  southeast  of  the 
St.  Mihiel  Sector.  After  this  drilling  they  hiked  farther  east  for  two 
nights  resting  in  the  daytime  and  traveled  through  many  towns  such 
as  Dana  Marie  and  Renecourt.  After  remaining  in  these  towns  a 
short  time  they  entered  the  front  line  trenches  for  nine  days.  During 
this  time  Albert  was  in  Co.  B  113th  Infantry,  29th  Division. 

After  coming  out  of  the  trenches  they  billeted  in  the  woods  where 
they  had  a  few  barracks.  This  sector  was  quiet,  not  much  bombard- 
ment going  on,  only  now  and  then  the  Americans  would  be  shelled 
for  probably  half  an  hour  and  the  Germans  in  turn  would  receive  the 
same  from  the  Americans. 

After  remaining  in  the  woods  a  few  days  Albert  again  went  back 
to  the  first  line  trenches  for  15  days,  during  which  time  he  carried 

208 


rations  to  the  soldiers.  During  a  bombardment  Albert  set  his  buckets 
of  rations  down  and  hid ;  while  hiding  a  shell  of  large  caliber  exploded 
near  and  blowed  up  two  of  his  buckets  and  buried  the  other  two  so 
deep  that  they  had  to  be  dug  out  with  a  spade.  Although  Albert 
remained  unhurt  these  times  were  trying  and  severe.  The  Germans 
and  Americans  were  both  holding  the  lines  and  neither  could  move 
forward.  On  his  return  from  the  15-day  duty  in  the  trenches  he 
received  an  order  from  the  War  Department  that  a  farm  furlough  had 
been  granted.  It  seems  his  brother  had  applied  for  a  furlough  for 
Albert  to  assist  in  the  harvest  field  and  as  xA-lbert  was  constantly  on 
the  move  after  the  furlough  was  granted  it  followed  him  until  it 
reached  its  final  destination,  after  he  had  been  in  the  first  line  trenches 
for  the  second  time. 

He  showed  his  furlough  to  the  captain  but  what  could  he  do  in  a 
time  like  this.  The  harvest  was  over  and  Albert  many  thousand 
miles  from  home.  They  came  out  of  the  trenches  about  the  middle  of 
September  and  billeted  in  towns  and  woods  for  a  week  and  then  started 
their  westward  hike  for  the  big  front.  They  hiked  28  miles,  rested 
a  few  days  and  then  entrained,  gradually  getting  nearer  and  nearer 
the  place  where  the  main  force  was  to  be  utilized,  where  only  strong 
healthy,  and  tried  forces  could  be  used.  By  the  7th  of  October  they 
were  in  the  Argonne  Forest  and  Albert  went  forward  into  the  forest 
on  that  day.  The  last  time  that  Paul  Johnson  of  Dorsey  saw  Albert 
was  on  the  3rd  of  October.  Albert  being  in  Co.  B  and  Paul  in  Co. 
A  caused  them  to  separate  when  they  entered  the  lines. 

Albert  went  in  on  the  seventh  and  Paul  went  in  on  the  tenth  of 
Octobr.  On  the  twelfth  of  October  Paul  Johnson  was  wounded 
severely  having  been  shot  in  the  arm  and  breaking  the  bone  in  his 
upper  arm  by  a  high  explosive  shell  was  sent  to  the  hospital  and  it 
was  while  he  was  in  the  hospital  that  he  heard  of  the  death  of  Albert. 
He  had  been  with  him  from  the  time  he  was  at  Camp  Taylor  and  they 
had  become  fast  friends.  Friendship  in  times  like  these  was  firm, 
but  no  one  knew  how  long  they  would  be  together,  no  one  knew  how 
soon  the  other  would  be  cast  into  eternity.  Paul  heard  that  Albert 
had  paid  the  price  and  gloom  spread  over  him  for  he  had  learned  to 
love  him.  Destiny  had  caused  their  acquaintance  and  destiny  held 
them  together  until  the  last  few  days. 

Yes,  Albert  had  paid  the  price ;  he  had  left  his  home  and  friends 
without  a  murmur ;  he  knew  young  men  of  stout  heart  and  body  were 
needed;  while  away  he  had  made  many  friends;  for  almost  eight 
months  he  had  been  moving  nearer  and  nearer  the  place  where  it  must 
be  shown  that  "America  is  the  Home  of  the  Brave;"   he   had  finally 

209 


reached  the  Ormont  Woods,  in  Death  Valley,  where  many  another 
brave  son  had  fallen.  Here  in  this  valley  of  death  he  was  mortally 
wounded  on  the  12th  day  of  October.  He  was  hurried  to  the  hos- 
pital but  all  efforts  to  save  his  life  were  unavailable  and  he  died  on  the 
18th  of  October.  He  was  buried  on  the  20th  with  military  honors. 
His  grave  is  134,  Row  86,  Cem.  414,  and  a  cross  marks  his  grave. 
It  is  stated  by  those  who  were  with  him  the  last  that  he  was  a  good 
soldier,  a  friend  to  his  comrades,  and  a  noble  Christian.  Should  he 
be  able  to  speak  he  would  surely  repeat  the  solemn  words  of  Charlotte 
Dryden  who  said : 

I  am  not  dead, 
But  have  enlisted  in  that  pulsing  throng 
Which,  pressing  onward,  where  the  battle  led 
With  screeching  shells,  and  choking  battle  smoke, 
Paid  the  great  price,  and  stepped  within  the  vale. 

I  range  beyond. 
O'er  plains  of  light  where  living  waters  flow, 
And  know  the  rest  from  wound  and  battle  smoke. 
The  heat,  the  cold,  and  all  that  harass  man 
Are  known  no  more,  for  God  had  dried  all  tears. 

There  is  no  death ! 
What  seems  so  to  our  tear-dimmed  aching  eyes 
Is  but  a  step  beyond,  where  God  awaits. 
The  thrill  of  youth,  the  joy  of  heart  and  mind 
Possess  me  wholly — now  I  truly  live ! 

Then  mourn  me  not, 
As  one  whose  course  was  broken  ere  its  end; 
But  know  I  breathed  the  fragrance  of  the  flowers. 
The  springtime  scent  of  new-turned  earth,  and  grass, 
And  loved  them  all,  and  thrilled  with  joy  of  life. 

Each  daily  sun 
Gave  some  new  joy,  some  taste  of  things  unknown 
Before  that  hour — and  then  the  great  day  came! 
I  marched  away  with  other  souls  who  dared. 
I  felt  the  thrill  that  comes  from  noble  deeds. 

And  so,  rejoice! 
For  I  have  longer  lived,  than  those  who  drag 
Through  years,  which  bear  scant  service  to  mankind. 
Ready  was  I  for  that  last  "muster  call," 
And  "greater  love  man  never  had  than  this." 

210 


GEORGE  J.  DEIST. 

George  J.  Deist,  son  of  William  and  Lena  Deist,  was  born  on  the 
Deist  farm  about  four  miles  north  of  Bethalto,  March  23,  1895.  He 
attended  the  Luman  school  until  he  completed  the  Eighth  grade  work, 
after  which  time  he  assisted  the  parents  with  their  farm  work.  He 
also  worked  on  the  farm  for  Frank  Johnson  for  five  years,  prior  to 
his  entering  the  service.  He  registered  in  June,  1917,  but  was  not 
called  until  September  5th.  1918.  He  left  Alton  on  that  day  for  Camp 
Custer  with  a  number  of  Bethalto  boys,  among  whom  were  Ed.  and 
\\'ill  Neunaber  and  Gene  McCracken. 

At  Camp  Custer,  Battle  Creek,  Mich.,  George  was  placed  in  the 
36th  Co.,  9th  Battalion,  160th  Depot  Brigade.  He  was  to  be  trans- 
ferred to  New  York  probably  for  overseas  duty  but  he  received  the 
notice  when  he  was  in  the  hospital  with  Spanish  Influenza  followed 
by  a  severe  case  of  pneumonia,  so  he  knew  nothing  about  the  orders. 
He  was  in  the  hospital  eight  weeks  after  which  time  he  was  too  weak 
to  work  or  drill.  Every  soldier  who  has  had  a  severe  case  of  "flu" 
remembers  the  weakness  that  follows. 

After  he  got  out  of  the  hospital  George  was  transferred  first  to 
the  6th,  then  to  the  8th  company,  where  he  remained  doing  light  duty 
until  he  was  discharged  from  the  service  August  5,  1919. 

Just  before  Christmas  George  had  a  few  days  furlough,  during 
which  time  he  spent  with  home  folks  in  Bethalto.  Why  he  was  kept 
in  the  army  so  long  was  never  made  clear.  He  served  just  eleven 
months,  nine  months  after  the  armistice  was  signed. 

Following  is  his  discharge  and  enlistment  record : 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  George  J. 
Deist,  No.  4723412,  Private  U.  S.  A.  unassigned,  attached  to  School  for 
Bakers  and  Cooks,  the  United  States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest 
and  faithful  service,  is  hereby  honorably  discharged  from  the  military 
service  of  the  United  States  by  reason  of  W.  D.  Cir,  No.  77,  Nov.  21, 
1918  (Industrial  Grounds).  Said  George  J.  Deist  was  born  in 
Bethalto,  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  When  enlisted  he  was  23  5-12  years 
of  age  and  by  occupation  a  farmer.  He  had  blue  eyes,  dark  brown 
hair,  ruddy  complexion,  and  was  6  feet  one  inch  in  height.  Given 
under  my  hand  at  Camp  Custer,  Michigan,  this  5th  day  of  August, 
1919.  John  Biaber,  Major  H.  G.  D.,  U.  S.  A.,  Commanding  School 
for  Bakers  and  Cooks. 


211 


ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name :  George  J.  Deist.  Grade :  Private.  Inducted  September 
5th,  1918,  at  Alton,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at  date  of 
discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Non-commissioned  officer :  Never. 
Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating:  Not  armed.  Horse- 
manship: Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes,  expedi- 
tions :  None.  Decorations,  medals,  badges,  and  citations :  None. 
Knowledge  of  any  vocation :  Farmer.  Wounds  received  in  service : 
None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged:  Good.  Typhoid 
prophylaxis  completed  September  19,  1918.  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis 
completed  Sept.  19,  1918.  Married  or  single:  Single.  Character: 
Very  good.  Remarks :  36th  Co.  160  Depot  Brigade  fr.  Sept.  6,  1918 
to  Nov.  5th.  1918;  8th  Co.  160th  Depot  Brigade  Nov.  6th,  1918  to 
Nov.  12,  1918;  6th  Co.  160th  Depot  Brigade  from  Nov.  13,  1918  to 
Nov.  15,  1918;  School  for  Bakers  and  Cooks,  Nov.  16.  1918  to  date 
of  discharge.  No  A.  W.  O.  L.  Service  honest  and  faithful.  Signa- 
ture of  soldier:  George  J.  Deist.  John  Biaber,  Major  H.  G.  D., 
U.  S.  A.,  Commanding  School  for  Bakers  and  Cooks. 


RUDOLPH  LOHR. 


Rudolph  Lohr,  son  of  George  and  Lena  Lohr,  was  born  in  Upper 
Alton  Dec.  30,  1895.  The  family  was  a  large  one  and  Rudolph  re- 
ceived but  a  common  school  education,  completing  the  Sixth  grade. 
After  he  quit  school  he  spent  most  of  his  time  working  for  farmers  in 
this  vicinity,  and  was  employed  by  John  Jinkinson  at  the  time  of  the 
registration  in  June.  1917,  and  Jie  therefore  registered  in  Bethalto. 

Besides  Rudolph  there  were  four  of  his  brothers  who  also  served 
Uncle  Sam  in  the  Great  World  War.  Harry  served  in  a  machine  gun 
company  in  France ;  Frank  volunteered  and  served  in  Co.  F.  130th 
Infantry,  33rd  Division;  Ed.  and  Albert  served  Uncle  Sam  in  this 
country.  Rudolph  left  with  the  Alton  contingent  Oct.  5,  1917,  and 
went  to  Camp  Taylor,  where  he  was  put  in  Co.  E,  333rd  Infantry.  At 
Camp  Taylor  he  had  the  usual  line  of  duty  common  to  all,  and  by  April 
6,  1918,  he  was  sent  to  Camp  Logan,  Texas,  where  he  was  placed  in 
the  Supply  Company,  129th  Infantry,  which  was  part  of  the  33rd 
Division.  This  supply  company  had  horsedrawn  vehicles  and  when 
they  left  Camp  Logan  on  May  2  for  overseas  duty  they  took  their 
wagons  and  harness  with  them.  They  reached  Camp  Upton  safely, 
and  embarked  on  the  10th  on  the  Covington,  a  captured  ship  .and  at 
that  time  under  American  command. 

212 


The  food,  though  nothing-  extra,  was  fair,  and  Rudolph  did  not 
become  seasick  on  his  two  weeks'  trip  across.  They  landed  at  Brest 
on  the  24th  of  May,  and  were  put  in  the  assorting  yards,  where  they 
guarded  the  supplies  that  were  being  stored  at  Brest.  They  remained 
there  about  a  month  when  they  went  east  where  they  were  held  in 
reserve  at  Molines  Woods.  They  were  attached  to  the  British  at 
Albert  where  they  had  gas  drills,  etc.  From  Amiens  they  went  to 
Ligny  and  from  there  they  went  farther  east  finally  reaching  the 
Argonne.  During  these  days  there  was  not  much  drilling  for 
Rudolph,  for  his  main  duty  was  to  haul  ammunition  and  supplies  to 
the  front  which  caused  him  to  be  under  shell  fire  much  of  the  time. 
When  they  moved  forward  they  usually  traveled  at  night ;  the  reason 
for  this  is  easily  understood. 

On  the  26th  of  September  they  moved  up  to  Brocort  Wood  with 
their  transports,  and  on  the  night  of  the  27th  they  moved  forward ;  on 
the  night  of  the  28th  they  moved  on  again,  finally  reaching  Recourt, 
where  they  remained  about  ten  days.  From  Recourt  they  went  to 
Consenvoye  near  the  Meuse  River,  where  they  remained  two  weeks. 
They  were  in  the  Argonne  Woods,  as  every  soldier  knows,  and  many 
a  soldier  well  remembers  the  town  of  Consenvoye  along  the  Meuse 
River.  Rudolph  was  made  wagoner  and  he  hauled  much  ammunition 
and  rations.  After  their  stay  in  Consenvoye  they  went  back  for  a 
rest  in  the  St.  Mihiel  Sector,  back  of  the  lines,  where  they  remained 
until  a  few  days  before  the  armistice  was  signed. 

After  armistice  day  they  went  to  Rupt  Woods  where  they  re- 
mained a  few  weeks,  and  then  left  for  Luxemburg,  where  they  re- 
mained in  the  Army  of  Occupation  four  months.  His  duties  remained 
the  same  until  the  boys  started  for  home  on  the  28th  of  April,  reaching 
Brest  on  the  first  day  of  ]\Iay,  sailing  May  loth  on  the  Leviatian  and 
arriving  safely  at  Hobokcn  May  22.  From  there  they  went  to  Camp 
Merritt.  then  to  Chicago,  where  they  paraded  on  the  2nd  of  June ; 
from  Chicago  they  went  to  Aurora,  where  they  also  paraded ;  after 
that  they  went  to  Camp  Grant  where  Rudolph  was  discharged  on  the 
6th  of  June,  1919. 

Following  is  his  discharge  and  enlistment  record: 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Rudolph  J. 
Lohr,  1976250,  Wagoner  Sy.  Company  129th  Infantry,  the  United 
States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby 
honorably  discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States 
by  reason  of  convenience  of  the  government,  per  circular  106  W.  D. 
213 


1918.  Said  Rudolph  Lohr  was  born  in  Alton,  in  the  State  of  Illinois. 
When  enlisted  he  was  21  years  of  age  and  by  occupation  a  farm 
laborer.  He  had  blue  eyes,  brown  hair,  dark  complexion,  and  was  5 
feet  9  1-2  inches  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp  Grant, 
Illinois,  this  6th  day  of  June,  1919.  Earle  C.  Thornton,  Major,  129th 
Infantry,  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name :  Rudolph  J.  Lohr.  Grade :  Wagoner.  Inducted  October 
4th,  1917,  at  Alton,  Illinois,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at  date 
of  discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Non-commissioned  officer : 
Never.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating:  No  rating. 
Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes, 
expeditions:  Meuse-Argonne  offensive  (26th  Sept.  to  11th  Nov., 
1918);  Dammevoux-Gercourt  (26th  Sept.  to  9th  Oct.,  1918).  Boisede 
Chaume-Bois  de  Platchene,  10th,  llth-21  Oct.,  1918,  with  XVII 
French  Corps  on  east  bank  of  Meuse  River,  class  "B,"  Somme-Amiens 
Sector,  with  Australian  Corps  26th  July-Aug.  6th.  Albert  Sector  with 
18th  Div.  A.  E.  F.,  11th  to  20  Aug.,  1918.  Verdun  Sector,  Hill  304, 
7th  to  26th  Sept.,  1918.  Troyon  Sector,  Woevre  district  24th  Oct. 
to  9th  Nov.,  1918.  Marcheville,  St.  Hilaire,  Chateau  d'  Auelnois  10th- 
11th  Nov.,  1918.  Army  of  Occupation  December  7,  1918  to  April 
27,  1919.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation :  Farmer.  Wounds  received 
in  service :  None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged :  Good. 
Triple  typhoid  prophylaxis  completed  Feb.  19,  1918.  Paratyphoid 
completed  Nov.  7,  1917.  Married  or  single:  Single.  Character: 
Excellent.  Remarks:  Entitled  to  travel  pay.  Decorations,  medals, 
badges,  citations :  None.  Signature  of  soldier :  Rudolph  J.  Lohr. 
C.  W.  Welch,  Captain  129th  Infantry,  Commanding  Supply  Co. 


ERNEST  H.  BRUNK. 

Ernest  H.  Brunk,  son  of  Hoffman  and  Carrie  Brunk,  was  born 
August  11,  1893,  on  a  farm  about  two  miles  north  of  Bethalto.  He 
attended  the  Culp  school  until  he  was  11  years  old  when  the  family 
moved  to  Missouri  where  Ernest  attended  the  District  school  until  he 
completed  the  Sixth  grade.  When  he  was  18  years  old  the  family 
moved  back  to  Bethalto  where  they  have  made  their  home  since. 
Ernest  lived  with  his  parents  until  he  was  called  to  the  colors  July 
31st,  1918,  He  registered  in  June,  1917,  but  was  not  called  until  the 
last  contingent  left  Alton.  John  Duval  and  Homer  Golike,  of  Foster 
Township,  left  the  same  time, 

214 


They  reached  Camp  Taylor  about  the  first  of  August  and  Ernest 
was  put  in  the  159th  Depot  Brigade  where  he  received  the  usual  line 
of  military  training,  but  he  remained  at  Camp  Taylor  only  a  short 
time,  for  he  left  September  12th  for  Camp  Joseph  E.  Johnson,  Florida, 
near  Jacksonville.  At  Camp  Taylor  he  was  placed  in  Co.  C,  2nd 
Battalion  Field  Artilkry,  and  when  he  reached  Camp  Johnson  he  was 
put  in  the  Quartermaster  Corps.  He  received  very  little  training 
here,  he  had  some  gas  drills  and  such  drills  as  pertain  to  the  Quarter- 
master Corps. 

They  remained  at  Johnson  until  the  first  of  November  when  they 
were  sent  to  Camp  Merritt,  N.  J.,  where  he  was  equipped  with  over- 
seas clothing.  From  Camp  Merritt  they  went  to  Hoboken,  N.  J., 
where  they  boarded  the  ship  Northern  Pacific  on  the  morning  of  the 
11th  of  November,  the  morning  of  the  great  armistice  day.  They 
remained  on  the  boat  all  day  and  all  night  at  Hoboken  when  the  next 
morning,  the  12th  of  November,  the  day  after  the  armistice  was 
signed,  she  set  sail  for  France. 

The  Northern  Pacific  was  a  large  American  boat  and  had  on  board 
about  3,500  men,  the  Quartermaster  Corps  and  the  Medical  Corps. 
They  did  not  belong  to  any  particular  division  and  they  landed  at 
Brest  on  the  22nd  of  November.  The  voyage  was  fair  and  Ernest 
experienced  but  little  seasickness. 

They  were  in  camp  at  Brest  only  four  days,  but  during  this  time 
he  experienced  some  real  mud,  for  the  condition  was  about  as  bad  as 
it  could  be.  They  left  for  Chateau  de  Lohr  in  box  cars,  crowding  40 
men  in  each  car ;  they  rode  a  day  and  a  night.  After  they  got  off  at 
Chateau  de  Lohr  they  were  there,  and  that  was  about  all  that  could 
be  said.  Not  much  of  anything  was  done  and  therefore  not  much 
of  anything  was  accomplished.  After  remaining  there  about  12  days 
they  were  packed  in  box  cars  and  journeyed  back  to  the  coast.  This 
time  they  went  to  the  embarkation  camp  at  St.  Nazaire,  expecting  to 
be  sent  home  again,  but  there  was  work  to  be  done,  besides  there  were 
others  whose  turn  came  first  so  Ernest  and  the  others  of  his  company 
had  to  remain  about  six  months  taking  care  of  horses  that  were  com- 
ing in  from  Spain,  the  United  States  and  other  places.  This  kind  of 
work  continued  from  December,  1918,  to  June,  1919.  There  were 
many  soldiers  at  St.  Nazaire,  they  kept  coming  and  going. 

On  the  14th  of  June  orders  were  received  to  leave  and  they  left 
on  the  American  ship  De  Kalb,  a  small  boat.  The  weather  while 
crossing  was  fair  and  Ernest  was  seasick  but  a  short  time.  They 
landed  at  Newport  News  on  the  23rd  of  June,  remaining  there  about 
a  week  when  the  company  split  up,  going  in  all  directions. 

215 


Ernest  was  sent  to  Camp  Grant  where  he  remained  about    four 
days  when  he  was  discharged  on  the  first  day  of  July,  1919. 
Following  is  his  discharge  and  enlistment  record : 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern:  This  is  to  certify  that  Huffman 
E.  Brunk,  3895667,  Private  325th  Remount  Depot,  the  United  States 
Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby  honor- 
ably discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States  by  rea- 
son of  convenience  of  government,  demobilization  of  organization,  per 
circular  106,  W.  D.  1918.  Said  Huffman  E.  Brunk  was  born  in 
Madison  County  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  When  enlisted  he  was  25 
years  of  age  and  by  occupation  a  farmer.  He  had  blue  eyes,  brown 
hair,  ruddy  complexion,  and  was  5  feet  5  1-2  inches  in  height.  Given 
under  my  hand  at  Camp  Grant,  Illinois,  this  1st  day  of  July,  1919. 
Elmer  G.  Lindroth,  Major  Infantry  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  Huffman  E.  Brunk.  Grade:  Private.  Inducted  July 
31,  1918,  at  Alton,  Illinois,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at  date 
of  discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Non-commissioned  officer : 
Never.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating :  Not  qualified. 
Horsemanship:  Very  good.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes,  ex- 
peditions :  A.  E.  F.  decorations,  badges :  None.  Medals,  citations  : 
None.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation :  Farming.  Wounds  received  in 
service:  None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged:  Good.  Typhoid 
prophylaxis  completed:  Aug.  19,  1918.  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis 
completed  Aug.  19,  1918.  Married  or  single:  Single.  Character: 
Excellent.  Remarks:  Entitled  to  travel  pay  to  Alton,  111.  Sailed 
from  the  United  States  November  12th,  1918,  returned  to  the  United 
States,  June  23,  1919.  No  A.  W.  O.  L.  under  G.  O.  31  W.  D.  1912, 
and  No  45  W.  D.  1914.  Signature  of  soldier:  Huffman  E.  Brunk. 
Virgil  D.  Jones,  1st  Inf.  Commanding.  Cas.  Det.  Camp  Grant,  111., 
July  1,  1919.  Paid  in  full  $145.41,  including  bonus  of  $60.00,  Act  of 
Feb.  24,  1919.  S.  H.  Francis,  Q.  M.  C.  Disbursing  Quartermaster, 
M.  Peterson,  2nd  Lieut.  Q.  M.  C. 


216 


HEYE  COLLMAN 

Heye  Edward  Collman,  son  of  Harm  and  Anna  Collman,  was  born 
in  Moro  Township  one  and  one  half  miles  north  of  Bethalto  Feb.  13, 
1892.  The  parents  were  both  born  in  Germany  and  came  to  America 
with  their  parents  when  quite  young.  Heye  was  born  and  raised  on 
the  farm  and  received  a  good  common  school  education,  while  attend- 
ing the  Moro,  Oak  Grove  and  Bethalto  schools,  completing  the  Eighth 
grade  at  the  Bethalto  school.  The  family  left  the  farm  in  Moro 
Township  when  Heye  was  15  years  of  age,  and  moved  to  the  Tom  Belk 
farm,  two  miles  south  of  Bethalto.  On  account  of  the  size  of  the 
farm  Heye  remained  home  helping  with  the  farm  work  and  later  man- 
aged the  farm  for  the  old  folks.  He  never  worked  away  from  home 
for  there  was  always  much  work  to  do,  and  when  he  registered  for 
the  draft  in  June,  1917,  he  registered  in  Bethalto,  for  the  Tom  Belk 
farm  lies  in  the  Bethalto  district.  He  continued  the  management  of 
the  farm  until  Aug.  1,  1918,  when  he  was  called  to  the  colors.  He 
left  Alton  Aug.  1  for  Camp  Taylor  and  was  put  in  the  159th  Depot 
Brigade  where  he  remained  two  weeks.  He  was  then  placed  in  the 
F.  A.  R.  D.  at  Camp  Taylor. 

Here  he  received  the  first  artillery  training  during  his  six  weeks' 
stay  and  was  then  transferred  to  the  O.  A.  R.  D.  where  for  three 
weeks  he  received  the  training  which  would  prepare  him  for  overseas 
service.  While  in  the  F.  A.  R.  D.  he  was  in  Battery  C,  Second  Bat- 
talion, and  in  the  O.  A.  R.  D.  he  was  in  the  Ninth  Battery.  Spanish 
Influenza  having  got  a  good  hold  on  the  soldiers  during  this  time 
caused  a  delay  in  sending  the  soldiers  across.  It  was  at  the  end  of 
eleven  weeks  his  company  left  Camp  Taylor  for  Camp  Merritt,  reach- 
ing that  place  on  the  27th  of  October,  1918.  At  Camp  Merritt  they 
were  equipped  for  overseas  duty.  Everything  now  was  hurry,  hurry, 
and  the  next  day,  October  28th,  they  boarded  the  Russian  ship  Krosh 
and  at  once  sailed  for  Brest,  France. 

There  were  14  ships  in  the  convoy,  including  a  battleship.  The 
Krosh  had  1,600  soldiers  aboard;  the  boat  was  managed  by  a  British 
crew  and  they  were  rationed  by  the  British  government.  Whether 
it  was  the  poor  condition  of  the  food,  which  consisted  of  potatoes, 
corn  meal  and  prunes,  or  whether  it  was  the  rocking  of  the  boat  that 
made  him  sick  during  the  entire  stay  on  board  he  could  not  say ;  yet 
such  was  the  case.  The  weather  was  fine  all  the  way  and  but  for  the 
seasickness  he  would  have  had  a  pleasant  trip.  The  convoy  reached 
Brest  on  November  the  9th,  after  a  12  days'  voyage.  They  hiked  to 
Camp  Pontenesen,  passing  the  famous  Napoleon  Barracks.      They  re- 

217 


mained  there  six  days  during  which  time  they  assisted  in  constructing 
barracks  for  more  incoming  troops.  While  at  this  camp,  between 
the  9th  and  the  15th  of  November,  the  armistice  was  signed  and  Heye's 
services  were  practically  at  an  end. 

They  left  camp  and  went  to  Camp  Hunt,  about  40  kilometers  from 
Bordeaux,  landing  there  on  the  19th  day  of  November.  There  were 
many  Camp  Taylor  men  at  Camp  Hunt  but  none  from  here  and  Heye 
was  apparently  among  strangers  while  stationed  at  this  camp.  His 
battalion  consisted  of  twelve  batteries  of  250  men  each,  and  the  entire 
battalion  was  stationed  at  that  camp.  Heye  remained  in  the  9th 
Battery  of  the  second  battalion. 

After  the  armistice  they  did  very  little  drilling  and  most  of  the 
work  done  was  cleaning  up  the  camp,  clearing  it  of  timber,  etc.,  for 
the  officers,  though  fine  fellows,  had  become  quite  neglectful.  They 
received  their  gas  masks  while  at  Camp  Hunt  and  they  had  one  gas 
drill.  On  the  16th  day  of  December  160  of  them  left  Camp  Hunt  in 
French  box  cars  for  Gondecourt,  a  place  somewhere  south  of  Metz 
in  the  St.  Mihiel  Sector,  reaching  this  place  on  the  19th  of  December. 
Here  they  intended  to  join  the  88th  Division;  instead  of  that  they 
joined  the  57th  Brigade  of  32nd  Division. 

From  Gondecourt  they  went  to  Mauvage  where  the  57th  Brigade 
was  stationed.  Heye  was  put  in  Battery  C  of  the  119th  Field  Artil- 
lery. He  remained  at  Mauvage  until  April  14th,  1919 ;  his  principal 
duty  there  was  taking  care  of  horses.  While  in  France  Heye  saw 
no  "flu"  patients  during  all  his  travels  and  he  did  not  get  it  while  he 
was  in  the  army. 

On  April  14th  he  left  Mauvage  for  home.  Although  the  arm- 
istice was  signed  while  he  was  at  Brest,  the  place  where  he  landed,  he 
traveled  a  great  deal  and  was  shifted  from  place  to  place  until  he 
again  reached  Brest  on  his  way  home.  His  travels  while  in  France 
consisted  of  two  days  and  two  nights  in  French  box  cars  from  Brest 
to  Camp  Hunt,  and  from  Camp  Hunt  to  Gondecourt  in  the  same  kind 
of  side  door  accommodations ;  from  Gondecourt  to  Mauvage  and  back 
he  hiked;  and  from  Gondecourt  to  Brest  he  traveled  south  of  Paris 
through  Tours,  Orleans,  Le  Mans,  and  Rennes  in  American  box  cars. 
The  American  cars  were  more  roomy  and  were  a  great  improvement 
over  the  crowded  French  cars.  While  in  France  the  treatment  of 
the  officers  and  the  condition  of  the  American  food  were  excellent. 

They  reached  Brest  after  three  days  and  two  nights  travel  and 
again  found  themselves  at  the  famous  old  camp  that  had  by  this  time 
been  improved.  They  had  board  walks,  water  works,  a  rocked  street 
and  other  advantages  they  did  not  have  when  most  needed.       They 

21S 


remained  at  the  Brest  camp  until  the  22nd  of  April  when  they  boarded 
the  U.  S.  Cruiser  Frederick  that  had  been  fitted  out  for  the  purpose 
of  transporting  soldiers.  The  ship  landed  at  Hoboken  on  the  3rd 
of  May  and  the  boys  were  sent  to  Camp  Mills,  where  they  remained 
eight  days.  During  his  stay  at  Camp  Mills  he  had  several  passes 
but  visited  the  city  of  Jamaica  only,  and  on  the  11th  the  Illinois  boys 
were  sent  to  Camp  Grant,  but  most  of  the  boys  were  sent  to  a  camp 
in  Michigan,  for  the  119th  consisted  principally  of  Michigan  boys,  and 
it  was  called  the  Michigan  National  Guard. 

Reaching  Chicago  on  the  13th  of  May,  where  the  Red  Cross 
served  a  splendid  dinner  at  the  Congress  Hotel.  Sixty-five  of  the  IK 
were  sent  to  Camp  Grant  and  arrived  there  the  same  evening.  Heye 
was  discharged  on  the  15th  of  May  and  reached  home  the  next  day. 

Thus  we  find  Heye  Collman  once  more  safe  at  home  after  having 
been  gone  a  little  over  ten  months  and  during  his  absence  he  had 
traveled  hundreds  of  miles  in  this  country,  thousands  of  miles  on  sea, 
hundreds  of  miles  in  France ;  across  the  sea  and  home.  During  his 
stay  in  the  army  he  averaged  more  than  1,000  miles  a  month.  You 
have  a  general  outline  of  his  duties  and  travels,  and  although  he 
never  heard  the  cannon  roar  on  the  battlefield,  and  although  he  never 
witnessed  any  of  the  horrors  of  war,  he  did  his  duty,  he  filled  the  place 
of  one  man,  he  was  a  unit  in  the  great  force ;  he  obeyed  orders  and 
did  what  he  was  commanded  to  do.  This  is  shown  by  his  discharge 
and  enlistment  record  which  reads  as  follows : 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 
To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Heye  Ed- 
ward Collman,  3895653,  Private  Bat.  C.  119th  F.  A.,  the  United  States 
Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby  honor- 
ably discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States  by  rea- 
son of  convenience  of  government.  Per  Cir.  106  W.  D.,  1918.  Said 
Heye  Edward  Collman  was  born  in  Moro  in  the  State  of  Illinois. 
When  enlisted  he  was  26  6-12  years  of  age  and  by  occupation  a 
farmer.  He  had  blue  eyes,  dark  brown  hair,  ruddy  complexion  and 
was  6  feet  1  inch  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp  Grant, 
111.,  this  15th  day  of  May,  1919.  Frank  A.  Johnson,  Major  F.  A., 
U.  S.  A.,  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name :     Heye  Edward  Collman.     Grade :      Private.      Inducted 

Aug.  1,  1918,  at  Alton,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at  date 

of  discharge.  Prior  service :    None.    Noncommissioned  officer :   Never. 

Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification,  or  rating:     Not  rated.     Horse- 

219 


i 


manship:  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes,  expedi- 
tions: Served  with  A.  E.  F.  in  France  from  10-23-18  to  5-3-19. 
Knowledge  of  any  vocation:  Farmer.  Wounds  received  in  service: 
None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged:  Good.  Typhoid 
prophylaxis  completed  March  8,  1919.  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis 
completed :  March  8,  1919.  Married  or  single  :  Single.  Character : 
Excellent.  Signature  of  soldier:  Heye  Edward  Collman.  Fred 
Hendrickson,  2nd  Lieut.  161st  D.  B.  Commanding,  Camp  Grant,  111., 
May  15,  1919.  Paid  in  full  $116.75,  including  bonus  of  $80.00  Act 
of  Feb.  24,  1919.      S.  H.  Francis,  Captain,  Quartermaster  Corps. 


JESSE  LENORD  CLEMENTS. 

Jesse  Lenord  Clements,  son  of  Richard  and  Louisa  Clements,  was 
born  in  Davis  County,  Indiana,  September  19,  1898.  His  parents 
were  born  in  Indiana,  the  father  of  Scotch  and  the  mother  of  French 
descent.  His  early  youth  was  spent  in  Indiana  attending  school  there 
until  he  reached  the  5th  grade  work.  The  father  was  a  Methodist 
minister  and  moved  from  place  to  place,  and  after  leaving  Indiana 
they  went  to  Chancey,  111.,  where  Jesse  took  the  6th  and  7th  grade 
work.  The  family  then  moved  to  Bethalto  where  he  completed  the 
7th  grade  work.  From  Bethalto  the  family  moved  to  Clay  City,  III, 
where  Jesse  completed  the  8th  grade  work  and  from  Clay  City,  the 
family  moved  to  Hazelton,  Ind.,  then  moved  to  West  Frankfort,  111., 
and  from  there  back  to  Bethalto.  While  the  family  resided  at  West 
Frankfort  and  at  Bethalto  Jesse  attended  the  McKendree  Academy, 
finishing  the  academy  in  1916  and  1917,  besides  getting  credit  for  one 
one  year's  college  work  there. 

Jesse  taught  school  in  Omphghent  township  during  the  winter  of 
1917  and  1918.  This  school  is  about  8  miles  from  Bethalto,  which  he 
considers  his  home.  When  he  closed  his  school  on  March  28,  he  went 
to  Hardin,  111.,  where  the  family  had  moved,  and  he  remained  there 
but  two  days  when  he  got  the  war  fever  again ;  for  the  call  came  for 
volunteers  and  he  thought  that  this  time  he  Vi^ould  be  successful,  for 
he  had  tried  three  times  before  within  two  years  previous  to  this 
time. 

In  1917  he  had  tried  on  May  23,  July  3,  July  4th,  and  finally  suc- 
ceeded on  April  3,  1918.  He  remained  at  Jefferson  Barracks  from 
April  3  to  April  13th,  when  he  was  sent  with  the  Coast  Artillery  Corps 
to  Fort  Adams,  R.  I.,  arriving  there  on  the  15th.  In  going  East  it 
was  plainly  seen  that  the  war  spirit  was  pitched  higher  than  in  the 

220 


West,  for  there  were  roj^al  receptions  all  along  the  line  until  he  reached 
the  Fort.  Jesse  volunteered  for  overseas  service  and  joined  the  66th 
Coast  Artillery,  which  was  being  mobilized  on  the  drill  grounds  at  Fort 
Adams,  and  was  accepted  May  3rd.  They  remained  at  Fort  Adams, 
which  faced  the  Narragansett  Bay,  until  July  18;  for  the  dreadful 
disease,  spinal  meningitis,  had  kept  them  in  quarantine  a  month  longer 
than  they  had  expected. 

Before  sailing  he  witnessed  many  farewell  receptions,  among 
which  were  one  given  by  Mrs.  Vanderbilt  at  her  summer  home  at 
Newport,  R.  I.,  and  one  by  Mrs.  James  at  her  summer  home.  The 
parade  was  reviewed  by  Gov.  Beacon  of  Rhode  Island.  They  broke 
camp  in  the  morning  of  July  18,  and  at  night  walked  to  Newport, 
R.  I.,  a  distance  of  three  miles  from  camp,  boarded  a  troop  train  for 
Boston  Pier,  got  on  board  after  they  had  been  inspected  and  had 
drawn  overseas  equipment. 

They  boarded  the  Lancashire-Liverpool,  a  British  troop  ship  that 
had  formerly  been  a  cattle  boat,  and  was  being  used  for  the  first  time 
and  was  not  up  to  the  standard ;  it  was  a  British  ship  commanded  by 
a  British  crew  of  about  250  and  the  American  soldiers  were  rationed 
by  the  British  Government.  The  ship  was  a  large  fast  steamer  and 
the  crew  consisted  of  English,  Hindoos  and  other  colored  boys. 

She  lifted  anchor  at  11  a.  m.  on  the  19th  and  sailed  for  New  York 
to  get  into  the  convoy ;  but  did  not  reach  New  York  harbor  until  the 
21st,  for  no  sooner  had  they  left  Boston  harbor  than  a  floating  mine 
destroyed  a  war  vessel  and  on  account  of  a  circuitous  route  they  got 
lost  in  the  storm.  The  Sunday  they  reached  New  York  harbor  was 
spent  in  watching  the  formation  of  the  convoy  of  15  ships,  including 
the  battleship  Montana. 

They  started  to  cross  on  the  22nd,  the  first  half  of  the  trip  being 
pleasant,  but  the  second  half  was  stormy  and  the  result  was  a  great 
deal  of  seasickness.  Rations  were  very  poor  and  consisted  of  two 
buns,  some  fish,  mutton  and  rabbit;  you  might  imagine  the  stimula- 
tion of  your  appetite  when  you  go  to  get  your  plateful  of  hash  and 
see  a  goat's  head  on  the  table  with  eyes  still  in  it,  all  boiled  nicely,  but 
staring  a  cold  stare  at  you.  If  a  person  could  keep  a  strong  stomach 
at  that  it  would  be  easy  to  turn  canibal,  at  least  Jesse  thought  so. 
One  of  the  pleasures,  as  well  as  a  necessity,  was  to  lie  quiet  and  wait 
for  a  nigger  boy  to  come  along  returning  with  the  "left-overs"  from 
the  officers'  tables  and  waylay  him  and  take  the  eats  that  the  officers 
did  not  want,  away  from  them.  Thus  the  voyage  ended,  and  though 
dissatisfied  they  were  none  the  worse  off. 


221 


During-  the  voyag-e  they  destroyed  two  submarines  with  depth 
bombs.  They  landed  safely  at  Liverpool  on  the  morning  of  August 
3rd.  The  first  thing  noticeable  was  the  absence  of  young  men,  and 
all  you  could  see  was  the  old  men  doing  the  work.  They  marched  up 
to  Liverpool  to  camp  Knotty  Ash.  On  the  way  Jesse  saw  a  sign 
tacked  on  a  house  stating  that  this  had  been  a  Public  House,  or  Saloon 
as  we  call  it,  and  because  the  proprietor  had  "Lied  to  His  Majesty  it 
was  "Closed." 

The  boys  began  at  once  to  clean  up ;  the  officers  in  charge  of  the 
camp  stated  it  was  the  cleanest  regiment  that  had  ever  been  in  that 
camp.  They  remained  in  that  camp  until  the  5th,  when  they  marched 
to  Liverpool,  boarded  trains  for  Winchester  and  then  marched  to  Morn 
Hill,  an  English  Artillery  camp.  While  near  Winchester  Jesse  had 
the  chance  to  see  Winchester  Cathedral,  Queen  Victoria  statue,  King 
Arthur's  table,  of  Knights  of  the  Round  Table  fame,  and  many  other 
historical  scenes.  They  left  Morn  Hill  on  the  8th  for  Southampton, 
arriving  there  the  same  day  and  boarded  the  side  wheeler  Queen 
Mohair  at  6  p.  m.,  but  were  ordered  to  get  off  again  for  there  was  a 
nest  of  submarines  in  their  path.  After  4  days  stay  at  Southampton 
they  again  made  the  venture  and  finally  reached  the  French  shore  at 
La  Havre.  They  proceeded  at  once  to  Camp  No.  1,  an  English  rest 
camp,  where  they  were  still  rationed  by  the  British  Government. 
Each  soldier  received  five  meal  tickets,  slept  in  squads  of  12  in  tents 
big  enough  for  six.  After  a  few  days'  stay  they  again  marched  to 
La  Havre  where  they  entered  the  famous  side  door  Pullmans  so  often 
described  in  this  book  and  therefore  need  not  to  be  retold  here. 

After  a  few  hours'  ride  they  were  introduced  to  the  first  taste  of 
war,  for  six  German  aeroplanes  raided  that  section  with  the  intention 
of  crippling  the  traffic.  One  plane  was  brought  down  and  two  crip- 
pled after  one  building  on  their  right  had  been  demolished.  They, 
however,  remained  in  their  cars  until  the  afternoon  of  the  15th,  pass- 
ing through  Rouen,  where  could  be  seen  the  statue  of  Joan  of  Arc; 
and  through  Orleans  where  she  was  burned  at  stake. 

They  got  off  at  Pierre  Buffierre  and  finished  their  training  there 
and  then  went  to  La  Moges,  18  kilos  away,  and  attended  an  artillery 
school  for  a  month.  While  there  he  received  the  first  real  American 
food  which  looked  good  to  Jes.  He  went  from  place  to  place  to  eat 
until  he  had  his  fill.  From  La  Moges  they  went  to  La  Courtina,  a 
French  artillery  range  in  the  mountains.  Here  they  qualified  about 
the  middle  of  October  and  got  ready  waiting  for  orders. 

While  at  this  place  Jes  received  a  letter  from  his  uncle,  his  father's 
brother,  that  he  was  wounded.      At  the  same  time  Jes  received  the 

222 


letter  a  telegram  arrived  at  Bethalto,  addressed  to  R.  L.  Clements  at 
Bethalto,  stating  that  Volney  F.  Clements  had  been  seriously  wounded. 
This  gave  the  impression  that  Jes  had  been  wounded,  for  it  was  not 
known  that  Mr.  R.  L.  Clements  had  a  brother  as  well  as  a  son  in  the 
service. 

After  October  15th  they  went  to  Tours,  where  they  were  being 
fitted  out  for  the  front.  They  were  still  there  when  the  armistice 
w-as  signed.  They  had  not  been  assigned  to  any  division,  for  they  had 
the  8-inch  Howitzers.  Their  emblem  was  a  big  A,  which  was  black 
with  red  and  white  stripes.  Black  A  stood  for  the  first  army,  red  for 
artillery,  and  white  for  reserve. 

On  Thanksgiving  day  they  returned  to  Pierre  Buffierre,  remain- 
ing there  until  the  17th  of  December,  when  they  went  to  La  Brede,  28 
miles  south  of  Bordeau.  By  this  time  the  rainy  season  had  set  in  full 
blast ;  Spanish  influenza  and  spinal  meningitis  took  at  least  one-third 
of  their  men.  The  moral  condition  of  many  was  bad ;  Jes  knew,  for 
he  helped  take  care  of  the  sick ;  he  was  and  remained  in  perfect  state 
of  health.  Here  is  where  his  moral  training  aided  him  that  he  re- 
ceived at  home  and  while  young;  this  also  aided  him  in  keeping  up 
his  perfect  physical  condition.  Although  the  regiment  was  strictly 
clean,  cooties  were  introduced  early  in  the  season. 

At  La  Brede  Jes  did  guard  duty,  for  at  this  time  there  were  many 
A.  W.  O.  L.'s  on  account  of  the  fine  class  of  people  living  at  La  Brede. 
While  at  this  place  they  had  a  great  deal  of  drilling  in  order  to  keep 
them  in  a  healthy  condition  for  their  return  homeward.  They  broke 
camp  February  4th,  and  marched  to  Bordeaux,  and  then  to 
Genecourt  No.  1,  seven  miles  away;  remained  there  one  day 
and  then  went  to  Genecourt  No.  2,  where  they  went  through 
a     delouser,     the     last     delouser     while     in     France.  They     re- 

mained at  Genecourt  No.  2  a  week  and  went  to  the  American 
docks  at  Bassans,  about  five  miles  away.  At  Bassans  docks  they 
got  on  a  tug  boat,  went  down  the  Gironde  River  about  17  miles  to 
Paulic,  an  air  service  camp  for  the  navy.  They  got  on  the  ship  Feb. 
17th,  when  it  was  discovered  that  there  were  102  cases  of  "flu"  and  six 
cases  of  pneumonia  on  board.  Twenty-five  were  taken  off  the  boat, 
and  the  others  proved  to  be  mild  cases  and  none  proved  fatal. 

They  entered  the  Bay  of  Biscay  on  the  19th  of  February,  the  boat 
— the  U.  S.  S.  Powhattan,  a  9-decker,  had  formerly  been  the  German 
liner  Hamburg.  Jes  had  been  in  France  eight  months,  had  been 
attached  to  the  44th  Artillery,  and  though  not  on  the  fighting  line  he 
had  fought  every  day  he  was  there.      The  weather  at  sea  was  stormy. 


223 


and  although  the  treatment  was  good  many  were  seasick  ;  and  although 
there  were  many  sick  and  wounded  on  board,  not  a  death  occurred  in 
crossing. 

They  landed  at  Hoboken  Pier  3  at  7  o'clock  in  the  morning  of 
March  5th,  just  as  President  Wilson  was  leaving  the  United  States  on 
his  second  trip  to  France.  He  watched  the  salutes,  and  saw  the 
President  and  Mrs.  Wilson  on  the  George  Washington. 

After  they  got  off  the  boat  they  were  fed  by  the  Red  Cross ;  they 
were  then  ferried  to  the  railroad  station  and  entrained  for  Camp  Mer- 
ritt ;  went  through  the  delouser,  turned  in  their  equipment,  were  given 
a  pass  and  spent  a  pleasant  time  in  New  York.  They  left  Camp 
Merritt  for  Camp  Grant,  reaching  that  place  on  the  14th  of  March. 
He  was  assigned  to  the  4th  company,  167th  Depot  Brigade.  He  re- 
mained at  Camp  Grant  filling  out  papers,  etc.,  until  March  21st,  when 
at  9:30  in  the  morning  he  received  his  discharge,  thus  becoming  a 
civilian  once  more.  He  went  from  Camp  Grant  to  Danville,  thence 
to  Carmi,  where  his  folks  met  him,  giving  him  a  royal  welcome.  Fol- 
loAving  is  his  discharge  and  enlistment  record: 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern:  This  is  to  certify  that  Jesse  L. 
Clements,  460823,  Private  1st  class,  Hq.  Co.  66th  Art.,  C.  A.  C,  the 
United  States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is 
hereby  honorably  discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United 
States,  by  reason  of  convenience  of  government,  per  S.  O.  74,  par  61, 
Hq.  Camp  Grant,  111.,  3-15-19.  Said  Jesse  L.  Clements  was  born  in 
Davis  County,  in  the  State  of  Indiana.  When  enlisted  he  was  20 
years  of  age  and  by  occupation  a  teacher.  He  had  brown  eyes,  dark 
hair,  ruddy  complexion  and  was  5  feet  9  inches  in  height.  Given 
under  my  hand  at  Camp  Grant,  111.,  this  21st  day  of  March,  1919. 
Hamilton  D.  Turner,  Maj.  Inf.  U.  S.  A.,  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  Jesse  L.  Clements.  Grade:  Private  1st  class.  Enlisted 
April  3,  1918,  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  Mo.,  serving  in  first  enlistment 
period  at  date  of  discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Non-commis- 
sioned officer:  No.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating: 
None.  Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirm- 
ishes, expeditions :  Left  U.  S.  A.  July  19,  1918,  arrived  in  U.  S.  A. 
March  5,  1919.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation:  Teacher.  Wounds 
received  in  service :  None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged : 
Good.    Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed :    April  16,  1918 ;  Paratyphoid 

224 


LEO  WILLIS 

Corp.,  Co.  B,  138th  Infantry 


WILLIAM  H.  WOHLERT 
Co.  F,  147th  Infantry 


CHARLES    KUHN 
Co.  F,   147th  Infantry 


EDWARD  J.  KRUSE 

Co.  A,  316th  Supply  Train 


ERNEST  H.  BRUNK 
325th  Remount  Depot 


GEORGE  T.  ECCLES 

72nd  Co.,  18th  Bn.  Infantry,  R.  &  T.  C. 


JOHN   W.   SILLAND 

Co.  G,  59th  Infantry 


HEYE  COLLMAN 

Battery  C,  1 1 9th  Field  Artillery 


prophylaxis  completed:  April  16,  1918.  Married  or  single:  Single. 
Character :  Excellent.  Remarks  :  No  A.  W.  O.  L.,  not  absent  under 
G.  O.  31-12  or  G.  O.  45-14.  Entered  service  from  Carmi,  111.  Sig- 
nature of  soldier:  Jesse  L.  Clements.  Malcolm  Wahlen,  Capt.  Inf. 
U.  S.  A.,  Commanding  4th  Co.  D.  B.  Camp  Grant,  111.,  March  21,  1919. 
Paid  in  full  $97.75.  including  bonus  of  $60.00,  Act  of  Feb.  24,  1919. 
Alex  C.  McKelvey,  Capt.  Q.  M.  C. 


WILLIAM  H.  LUMAN. 


William  H.  Luman,  son  of  George  and  Adeline  Luman,  was  born 
on  a  farm  two  miles  north  of  Bethalto.  He  went  to  the  Luman  school 
for  a  while.  The  Luman  school  was  so  called  on  account  of  Grand- 
father Luman  donating  the  land  for  school  purposes  many  years  ago. 
Later  the  family  left  this  district  and  moved  to  Prairietown  where 
Will  attended  a  school  near  Bunker  Hill ;  from  Prairietown  the  family 
moved  to  Moro,  where  Will  attended  school  for  a  short  time ;  but  on 
account  of  the  parents  living  far  from  school  Will  did  not  have  the 
advantage  that  other  boys  had  and  he  went  to  school  very  little  and 
at  the  age  of  eleven  his  school  years  ended.  He  had  reached  the 
Seventh  grade  work. 

His  father  was  a  farmer  and  contractor,  and  Will  became  his  main 
helper.  Later  on  the  family  moved  to  East  Alton  and  Will  received 
employment  at  the  Standard  Oil  Company  running  a  locomotive  crane. 

He  registered  in  June,  1917,  but  was  not  called  until  May  28, 
1918,  when  he  was  examined,  leaving  Alton  the  next  day  for  Camp 
Shelby,  Miss.  Will  was  soon  to  be  initiated  into  the  excitement  that 
goes  with  army  life,  for  no  sooner  had  they  got  off  the  train  at  Jack- 
son, Miss,  for  a  short  parade  when  one  of  the  southern  beauties,  run- 
ning an  automobile  and  seeing  so  many  soldier  boys  from  the  North, 
lost  her  head  and  consequently  the  control  of  her  machine  and  run 
on  to  the  walk  close  to  Will,  knocking  his  partner  down  and  break- 
ing his  legs.  This  incident,  though  serious  at  that  time,  was  but  a 
trifle  to  what  he  was  destined  to  see  some  day. 

Will  reached  Camp  Shelby  safely  where  he  received  the  usual 
line  of  amusement  while  at  the  detention  camp,  such  as  "shots"  in  the 
arm,  "ice  cream"  in  a  tin  cup  and  the  most  awkward  and  unbecoming 
uniform  that  could  be  wished  on  a  soldier.  Pants  large  enough  to  fit 
three  men  at  the  same  time,  and  as  a  rule,  coat  and  shirt  and  shoes 
to  match  the  pants.  When  those  Southerners  saw  the  Northerners 
coming  in  such  a  style  they  evidently  .thought  of  Private  Peck  when 

225 


he  tried  to  put  down  the  rebellion.  This,  however,  mattered  little  to 
Will  for  he  had  gone  forth  to  do  his  duty,  obey  orders,  take  what  was 
given  to  him  and  accept  nothing  more. 

He  was  placed  in  Co.  L,  150th  Infantry,  of  the  38th  Division. 
The  soldiers  of  the  38th  Division  were  mostly  regulars  and  had  been 
on  the  Mexican  border.  They  were  called  the  National  Guard 
Division.  These  were  ready  to  go  overseas  for  duty ;  but  they  needed 
a  few  to  fill  the  division  up  to  war  strength,  and  Will  became  one  of 
the  few,  and  therefore  became  one  of  those  who  must  make  hurried 
preparation.  There  was  no  loafing;  it  was  drill  and  hike  and  do 
everything  that  was  necessary  for  hurried  preparation.  Ten  hours 
a  day  every  day  in  the  week ;  rigid  day  for  Will.  The  worst  feature 
was  the  five  hours  drilling  in  the  morning  without  water,  and  the  same 
in  the  afternoon  under  the  same  condition.  It  could  be  easily  under- 
stood by  him  why  they  were  putting  the  new  boys  through  such  serious 
tests.  The  weather  was  hot  and  it  seemed  pretty  much  like  war  to 
Will  as  it  was.  Frequent  gas  drills  had  to  be  gone  through ;  and  be- 
fore they  had  gone  through  gas  houses  many  times  Will  could  easily 
distinguish  between  tear  gas  and  mustard  gas. 

Will  also  took  a  course  in  bayonet  school  and  one  course  in  the 
grenade  school.  There  were  other  schools  but  Will  thought  it  suffi- 
cient for  the  present.  On  the  rifle  range  Will  did  his  part ;  the  boys 
would  hike  ten  miles  to  the  range  one  day,  target  practice  the  next  day, 
and  hike  back  on  the  third  day.  This  was  repeated  three  times  a 
month.  It  mattered  not  what  the  weather  was  like ;  if  they  started 
in  the  pouring  rain  they  would  continue  just  the  same,  for  they  could 
dry  their  clothes  later.  On  the  range  the  targets  of  100  yards  to  500 
yards  distance  were  of  all  shapes,  sizes  and  colors.  Some  were 
camouflaged,  others  were  not.  The  sole  aim  seemed  to  be  to  beat 
the  other  fellow  in  the  game.  Thus  the  days  of  intensiveness  passed 
and  September  came  and  the  boys  started  to  move.  They  bid  fare- 
well to  targets,  wire  entanglements,  trenches,  gas  houses  and  heat, 
and  started  north  on  the  first  of  September ;  went  to  Camp  Mills  where 
they  were  equipped  with  overseas  clothing,  thus  giving  the  boys  a  bet- 
ter appearance. 

They  left  Camp  Mills  shortly  afterward,  went  farther  north  until 
they  reached  Montreal,  Canada.  \Y'\\\  had  been  made  corporal  at 
Camp  Shelby  but  he  gave  that  honor  very  little  consideration  for  he 
was  aware  of  the  distinction  between  corporal  and  a  private.  They 
boarded  the  steamship  Deltal  at  Montreal  and  sailed  down  the  St. 
Lawrence  River,  passing  Quebec  with  its  majestic  fortifications  and 
finally  passing  Halifax,  entered  the  great  waters  to  cross  to  the  other 

226 


shores.  The  only  real  acquaintance  Will  had  was  Paul  Koons,  for- 
merly from  Bethalto.  Each  soldier  has  troubles  of  his  own,  yet  the 
trials  of  his  comrades  seemed  worse  to  Will  than  he  looked  for ;  for 
many  got  seasick  while  still  on  the  river ;  some  became  so  sick  with 
"flu"  that  they  were  left  at  Halifax.  The  "flu"  season  was  appearing- 
and  it  caught  many  before  they  left  the  river  and  many  others  after 
they  started  to  cross.  If  we  could  take  time  to  reflect  for  a  moment 
and  think  of  those  conditions  we  would  not  treat  the  subject  of  war 
so  lightly. 

The  boat  on  which  they  crossed  was  a  British  steamer  manned 
by  a  British  crew,  and  the  food  they  received  was  outrageous.  They 
saw  four  large  icebergs ;  and  passing  between  them  they  were  con- 
stantly in  foggy  and  damp  weather.  With  such  weather,  "flu"  aboard, 
food  not  fit  for  a  dog ;  cabbage  for  breakfast,  mutton  stew  for  dinner, 
and  oats  without  sugar,  tasting  like  glue,  for  supper ;  it  was  no  wonder 
so  many  were  so  very  sick.  They  would  make  the  boys  do  without 
sugar,  bake  sweet  doughnuts  at  night  and  sell  them  to  the  American 
soldiers  for  five  cents  apiece  the  next  day.  This  kind  of  profiteering 
was  unAmerican,  and  the  boys  lost  not  only  their  love  but  their  friend- 
ship for  any  English  cook. 

Misery  and  death  mingled.  The  flags  floated  at  half  mast  all  the 
time.  They  were  16  days  in  crossing.  Fifteen  of  their  boys  died  on 
the  boat  on  which  Will  crossed.  One  of  his  pals,  a  member  of  his 
squad,  got  seasick,  then  took  the  "flu"  and  after  eight  days  of  suffer- 
ing died.  Will  acted  as  pallbearer.  They  wrapped  the  poor  boy  in 
canvass,  sewed  it  up,  put  him  on  what  is  called  a  tilt  board  about  two 
feet  wide,  and  with  his  feet  in  the  direction  of  the  water ;  taps  sounded, 
the  board  raised  and  the  body  of  his  friend  slipped  quietly  down  into 
the  waters  below.  Thus  15  of  their  boys  were  buried  beneath  the 
waves ;  64  from  another  vessel  and  in  all  more  than  a  hundred  died 
Avhile  the  fleet  was  crossing  the  Atlantic.  The  regular  rations  were 
too  filthy  for  Will  and  the  only  eats  he  got  while  crossing  were 
doughnuts,  and  he  ate  them  as  long  as  his  nickels  lasted.  Sympathy 
exists  in  every  true  American  but  the  rebellious  nature  becomes  pre- 
dominant when  undue  advantage  is  taken  of  him.  He  who  would  be 
a  friend  to  a  good  Western  American  should  be  careful  how  he  treats 
his  stomach. 

These  days  could  not  last  always,  and  after  16  days  travel  they 
finally  reached  Liverpool  on  the  3rd  of  October.  They  got  on  a  train 
at  Liverpool,  rode  about  eight  hours  to  a  rest  camp,  where  they  re- 
mained two  days.  Again  at  this  rest  camp  it  was  plenty  of  rest  but 
no  eats.      The  result  was,  a  bunch  of  boys  broke  through  the  guard 

227 


line  to  get  something  to  eat.  The  M.  P.'s  soon  rounded  them  all  up, 
put  Will,  one  of  the  violators,  in  charge  of  the  bunch  and  he  drilled 
them  good-naturedly  back  to  camp,  and  nothing  came  of  it,  for  they 
had  not  long  to  stay.  They  were  again  put  on  trains  and  rode  until 
they  reached  Southampton.  Many  an  American  soldier  has  made 
a  trip  cross  England  and  the  channel  and  if  there  is  a  reader  who  has 
been  through  this  let  him  bear  with  the  writer  until  the  soldier  is 
safely  taken  out  of  the  path  of  tribulation. 

Upon  reading  Southampton  they  were  at  once  put  on  an  American 
boat  that  took  the  boys  safely  across  the  channel  and  landed  them  at 
La  Havre,  from  where  they  were  taken  to  Rest  Camp  No.  One.  Rest 
Camp  No.  One  is  pretty  well  known  to  the  reader  by  this  time.  This 
camp,  six  miles  out  of  town,  and  upon  a  high  hill,  with  its  round  tents, 
room  enough  for  eight,  yet  crowding  14  in  each  tent.  They  remained 
v.t  this  camp  two  days,  but  not  always^  in  their  tents  for  they  did  not 
think  it  very  comfortable  with  their  heads  outside  and  their  feet  and 
legs  piled  up  in  the  center ;  but  it  was  time  the  boys  were  getting 
familiar  with  this  crowded  condition  for  they  were  going  to  have  more 
of  it  later  on. 

At  the  end  of  the  second  day  they  again  hiked  to  La  Havre  where 
they  entered  the  famous  side  door  Pullmans.  The  utmost  capacity 
of  these  cars  was  either  8  horses  or  40  men,  yet  Will's  car  contained 
42  men.  There  was  no  room  to  sit  down.  They  rode  for  several 
days  until  they  reached  La  Mons.  At  La  Mons  they  got  off  one  train 
and  were  put  on  another  to  be  sent  back  to  Nantes  where  they  re- 
mained a  week.  If  the  reader  does  not  know  where  these  places  are 
let  him  look  them  up  in  his  geography  and  he  will  readily  see  where 
the  boys  were  taken,  but  he  will  not  understand  why ;  neither  could 
the  boys  understand  why  they  should  be  rustled  around  in  that  man- 
ner;  for  after  a  week's  stay  at  Nantes  where  Will  with  39  others 
billeted  in  a  chicken  house  with  a  damp  floor,  without  straw,  they 
were  again  picked  up  and  were  once  more  on  their  way,  this  time  to 
their  old  stamping  grounds.  La  Havre. 

While  at  the  camp  two  miles  from  the  city  they  were  still  rationed 
by  the  British  and  eats  were  beginning  to  get  painfully  scarce ;  so  that 
through  sheer  hunger  the  boys  made  another  breakout  and  broke  in, 
stole  11  loaves  of  bread,  2  sacks  of  potatoes,  and  2  sides  of  bacon  from 
the  kitchen,  thus  giving  the  saintly  soldiers  one  good  square  meal. 

Time  was  rolling  on ;  rain  was  coming  down,  making  their  shelter 
halves  serve  but  poorly  their  purpose.  The  boys  remained  but  a  short 
time  and  were  soon  on  the  move  again.  This  time  they  rode  three 
days  and  three  nights  and  landed  at  a  place  called  Les  Lettes  where 

228 


they  stopped  and  joined  the  78th  Division  on  the  9th  of  November, 
having  had  9  days  and  9  nights  free  ride.  Smile  at  this  and  a  soldier 
will  tell  you  there  was  nothing  to  laugh  about. 

They  were  now  on  the  old  Hindenburg  line;  the  Germans  had 
hurriedly  evacuated  this  place  two  weeks  before  and  had  left  some  fine 
places ;  some  electrically  lighted,  but  Oh !  My !  so  dirty  and  so  full  of 
cooties.  \\'ith  no  bath  since  they  left  the  good  old  U.  S.  shore,  only 
one  cold  bath  in  England,  and  no  chance  to  wash  while  riding  in  the 
box  cars,  a  person  can  imagine  the  cooties  found  fertile  soil  when  the 
boys  arrived  at  Les  eLttes. 

Along  the  side  of  the  roads  many  thousand  shells  were  piled  up 
and  it  became  their  duty  to  camouflage  these  huge  mountains  of  shells 
to  keep  the  Bochc  planes  from  finding  them ;  but  their  labor  was  of 
short  duration  for  two  days  after  they  arrived  on  the  line  the  armistice 
was  signed;  and  by  the  night  of  the  11th  of  November  they  had 
reached  the  town  of  Butcher,  27  kilos  away.  This  11  hour  hike 
through  the  mud  was  a  memorable  one  for  Will.  Many  fell  out  of 
line  and  came  straggling  into  camp  several  days  afterward.  They 
had  been  ordered  to  not  eat  their  rations,  but  hunger  would  not  allow 
them  to  obey  orders,  and  their  bully  beef  and  hard  tack  disappeared. 
They  were  reprimanded  severely  by  their  officers  and  punished  by 
restricting  their  actions.  The  officers  had  ])lenty  to  eat,  but  the  boys 
must  not  eat  even  their  own  scanty  food. 

They  remained  at  Butcher  five  days,  vvhen  they  were  again  intro- 
duced to  their  old  acquaintance,  Mr.  Side  Door.  They  sailed  two 
days  and  two  nights  to  a  town  called  Epossie  from  where  they  hiked 
three  kilos  to  Bard  Epossie,  where  they  remained  four  months  repair- 
ing French  roads.  Part  of  the  company  drilled  while  the  rest  cracked 
stones  to  build  roads.  This  was  tedious  work  with  nothing  else  be- 
fore them  to  break  the  monotony.  They  billeted  in  an  old  shed  with 
two  blankets  apiece,  no  heating  apparatus  of  any  kind,  so  they  made 
a  stove  of  sheet  iron  and  stole  some  guttering  for  a  stove  pipe ;  but 
when  the  pipe  got  too  hot  the  soldering  melted  and  the  pipe  came 
tumbling  down,  leaving  them  no  better  off  than  when  they  started  ;  and 
although  candy  was  issued  to  them  regularly  they  did  not  receive  any. 
The  boys  knew  where  the  candy  went,  but  to  keep  from  being  court- 
martialed  they  thought  it  better  to  keep  quiet  than  to  get  into  trouble 
with  their  superiors. 

The  worst  feature  of  their  life  in  this  detention  camp  was  the 
sham  battles  the  officers  tried  to  make  their  boys  fight.  It  mattered 
not  about  the  weather,  they  had  to  capture  imaginery  trenches  and 
machine  gun  nests,  and  when  the  officer's  whistle  blew  it  meant  "flop," 

229 


mud  or  no  mud.  Thus  the  rough  treatment  went  on  until  the  first  of 
May,  when  orders  were  given  to  start  for  Bordeaux. 

After  reaching  Bordeaux  they  were  deloused  and  were  put  on 
board  the  Santa  Paula,  an  American  boat,  and  set  sail  for  good  old 
Hoboken,  reaching  that  place  on  the  28th  of  May,  making  the  trip  in 
14  days.  From  Hoboken  they  were  sent  to  Camp  Dix,  where  they 
were  again  deloused. 

After  five  days'  stay  at  Camp  Dix  they  went  to  Camp  Grant, 
where  after  remaining  36  hours  they  received  their  discharge  on  the 
5th  of  June,  1919. 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern:  This  is  to  certify  that  William  H. 
Luman,  1557298,  Corporal  Co.  K,  309th  Infantry,  the  United  States 
Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service  is  hereby  honor- 
ably discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States  by 
reason  of  convenience  of  the  government,  per  circular  108,  War  Dept., 
1918.  Said  William  H.  Luman  was  born  in  Bethalto  in  the  State  of 
Illinois.  When  enlisted  he  was  27  3-12  years  of  age  and  by  occupa- 
tion an  Engineer.  He  had  blue  eyes,  brown  hair,  dark  complexion 
and  was  5  feet  9  1-2  inches  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp 
Grant,  111.,  this  5th  day  of  June,  1919.  Frank  A.  Johnson,  Major 
F.  A.,  U.  S.  A.,  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  William  H.  Luman.  Grade:  Corporal.  Inducted  May 
28,  1918  at  Alton,  Illinois,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at  date  of 
discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Non-commissioned  ofiicer : 
Corporal;  Aug.  25,  1918.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification,  or 
rating :  Not  rated.  Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engage- 
ments, skirmishes,  expeditions :  Served  in  A.  E.  F.  from  Oct.  3,  1918, 
to  May  28,  1919.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation:  General  Engineer. 
Wounds  received  in  service:  None.  Physical  condition  w^hen  dis- 
charged: Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed  6-21-'18.  Para- 
typhoid prophylaxis  completed  6-21-18.  Married  or  single :  Single. 
Character:  Excellent.  Signature  of  soldier:  William  H.  Luman. 
Chas.  E.  Wavam,  1st  Lieut.  Infantry,  Commanding  Demobilization 
Group.  Camp  Grant,  111.,  June  5,  1919.  Paid  in  full  $114.37,  including 
bonus  of  $60.00,  Act  of  Feb.  24,  1919.  S.  H.  Francis,  Quartermaster 
Corps. 


230 


EDWARD  J.  KRUSE. 

Edward  J.  Kruse,  son  of  August  and  Gesche  Kruse,  was  born  in 
Wood  River  Townsliip,  three  miles  south  of  Bethalto,  September  17, 
1890.  He  attended  the  Wahiut  Grove  school  completing  the  Eighth 
grade.  He  remained  at  home  working  on  the  farm  until  he  was 
23  years  of  age  when  he  went  to  Pomona.  California,  to  work  on  an 
orange  farm.  He  went  in  October.  1913,  and  returned  home  the  fol- 
lowing April.  California  life  was  too  fascinating  for  Ed.  and  the 
climate  suited  him  better  than  that  of  Illinois,  so  he  went  back  to  Cali- 
fornia the  second  time  in  February,  1915.  He  went  to  work  to 
Pomona  in  the  cold  storage  and  ice  plant  for  fruits  and  oranges. 

It  was  at  Pomona  that  Ed.  registered  for  the  service  in  June, 
1917.  He  was  called  to  the  colors  on  his  birthday,  September  17, 
1917,  and  took  examination  on  the  8th  of  August,  leaving  Pomona  on 
the  20th  of  September  for  Camp  Lewis,  Wash.  Camp  Lewis  was 
just  being  organized.  He  was  placed  in  the  316th  Supply  Train  of 
the  91st  Division,  or  Wild  West  Division  as  it  became  known  later  on. 
Part  of  the  description  is  taken  from  the  war  diary  which  shows  that 
the  316th   Supply  Train  was  organized  on  the  25th    of    September, 

1917,  under  the  command  of  Lt.  Allen  R.  Duncan;  Col.  Saville  being 
in  command  of  the  regiment.  The  duties  at  Camp  Lewis  were  some- 
what like  those  of  other  camps.  Infantry  drill,  gas  drills,  school  and 
trucks  and  other  mechanical  lines.       Ed.  became  bugler  February  1, 

1918,  and  in  June  they  went  through  a  siege  of  the  hardest  kind  of 
training. 

They  left  camp  on  the  30th  of  June,  1918,  for  overseas  duty. 
They  stopped  at  Spokane,  Washington,  on  the  1st  of  July  where  they 
paraded  and  in  return  received  fruits,  cigarettes,  post  cards,  etc.,  from 
the  Red  Cross.  The  next  stop  east  was  at  Missoula,  Montana,  where 
the  boys  received  the  best  reception  by  the  Red  Cross  and  citizens  of 
that  territory.  At  Billings,  Montana,  the  Supply  Train  boys  enjoyed 
themselves  in  the  public  swimming  pool ;  at  Forsythe,  Montana,  the 
Supply  Train  waited  a  while  to  see  the  new  boys  leave  for  Camp  Lewis. 
The  town  of  Paradise,  Montana,  will  be  remembered  by  the  boys  for 
the  industrious  mosquitoes  produced  there.  Thus  they  traveled  east- 
ward. At  Fargo,  North  Dakota,  they  had  physical  exercise.  At  El- 
roy,  Wisconsin,  they  spent  the  4th  of  July  parading  for  the  natives. 
They  arrived  at  Chicago  at  midnight  on  the  4th.  More  physical 
exercise  at  Toledo,  Ohio ;  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  they  had  a  fine  swim  in 
Lake  Erie.  They  stopped  a  short  while  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  by 
the  6th  of  July  they  were  traveling  south  along  the  Hudson  River, 
and  after  passing  many  other  interesting  sights  they  finally  reached 

231 


Camp  Mills  in  the  evening  of  the  6th  of  July.  They  were  at  Camp 
Mills  from  the  6th  to  the  13th.  During  this  time  the  boys  had  passes 
to  the  city  of  New  York.  At  Camp  Mills  they  received  their  overseas 
equipment. 

On  the  13th  they  boarded  the  ship  Alsatian,  one  of  a  convoy  of 
14  ships.  From  July  14th  to  July  26th  they  were  on  the  ocean.  On 
the  ship  they  had  physical  exercise,  guard  duty  and  boat  drills.  No 
submarines  were  sighted  and  ten  sub-chasers  met  them  when  they 
were  two  days  from  their  destination.  They  docked  at  Liverpool, 
England,  on  the  26th  and  debarked  on  the  27th,  boarded  a  train  and 
after  touring  for  ten  hours  detrained  at  Southampton,  and  from  there 
marched  a  distance  of  four  miles  to  an  English  rest  camp.  At  dusk 
of  the  27th  they  left  Southampton,  spending  the  entire  night  on  a 
channel  boat  in  crossing  the  channel,  arriving  at  Cherbourg,  France, 
at  5  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  28th ;  from  there  they  marched  to 
a  British  rest  camp  four  miles  from  Cherbourg. 

During  the  time  they  were  on  the  boat  and  when  they  passed 
through  England  and  near  Cherbourg,  France,  they  were  rationed  by 
the  British  government.  The  food  was  considered  "bum"  by  the 
boys,  and  the  horse  meat  they  were  given  on  the  boat  was  not  very 
palatable  to  a  bunch  of  Wild  West  boys  who  knew  nothing  but  pure 
American  food,  and  if  possible  would  tolerate  nothing  else.  It  is  not 
stated  for  what  reason,  but  while  at  Rest  Camp  No.  1  near  Cherbourg 
nobody  was  allowed  to  leave  camp,  and  some  of  the  western  spirit 
arose  too  high  for  some,  with  the  result  that  30  medicos  were  brought 
in  by  the  guards  and  put  in  the  guard  house.  They  had  broke  out, 
orders  or  no  orders.  They  loved  the  freedom  and  did  not  know  how 
to  connect  Western  Freedom  with  Eastern  Liberty.  The  boys  were 
used  to  pure  food  and  they  blamed  the  English  soldiers  for  the  poor 
food  that  their  government  gave  them ;  for  a  hungry  soldier  is  apt  to 
express  his  feelings  in  terms  sometimes  unbecoming  to  one  who  is 
supposed  to  be  a  model  citizen,  though  he  is  from  the  Free  West ;  how- 
ever, this  condition  did  not  last  long ;  the  sullen  ill  feeling  soon  passed 
away  for  when  they  received  American  food  quiet  prevailed  and  on 
the  first  of  August  they  entrained  for  "Somewhere  in  France." 

On  August  2,  they  saw  Paris  from  a  distance,  they  saw  the  Eifel 
Tower,  the  great  100  meter  ferris  wheel,  and  other  distinguishing 
marks  of  the  great  city.  The  boys  did  not  know  where  they  were 
going  but  they  were  on  their  way, — yes,  they  had  been  on  their  way 
more  than  a  month  but  their  spirits  were  as  high  as  ever.  They 
traveled  on  and  reached  Neisey-le-sec,  where  they  remained  overnight. 


232 


Here  they  had  the  first  taste  of  French  wine.  Here  they  saw  Ger- 
man prisoners  for  the  first  time. 

While  being  side-tracked  overnight  the  boys  in  some  mysterious 
way  discovered  several  barrels  on  the  cars  in  a  leaky  condition ;  they 
discovered  that  the  barrels  contained  wine.  The  result  of  this  dis- 
covery was  that  many  Wild  West  boys  started  on  a  tour  to  shoot  Ger- 
mans. The  insurrection  was  checked,  however,  by  the  Major's  orders, 
to  have  every  canteen  examined  and  if  any  wine  was  found  to  have  it 
reported  at  once.  The  sergeant  was  detailed  to  go  on  the  tour  of 
inspection.  After  inspecting  as  many  canteens  as  he  was  able,  he 
reported  everything  O.  K.  Thus  Ed.'s  canteen  was  found  in  good 
condition.  He  did  not  state  how  good  it  was ;  but  good,  good,  good, 
was  all  the  canteen  would  say.  The  night  passed  and  Neisey-le-Sec 
passed  out  of  existence  so  far  as  the  316th  supply  train  was  con- 
cerned. They  came  to  the  end  of  their  railroad  journey  after  having 
been  in  all  kinds  of  cars. 

In  America  they  had  Pullman;  in  England  they  had  1st,  2nd,  and 
3rd  class  compartment  coaches,  with  which  every  soldier  who  has 
made  the  trip  is  familiar,  and  in  France  they  had  1st,  2nd,  and  3rd 
class  coaches  and  a  peculiar  kind  of  a  box  car  with  which  every  one 
of  our  overseas  boys  is  painfully  familiar. 

They  detrained  at  Andilly  and  marched  to  the  village  of  Meuse- 
Haute  Marne.  They  marched  the  distance  of  seven  miles  full  pack, 
and  settled  down  for  a  35  days'  stay  at  Meuse.  While  the  division 
hiked,  drilled  and  practiced  the  316th  supplied  them  with  grub.  The 
supply  train  left  Meuse  on  the  6th  of  September  via  truck  for  Fouksin, 
France,  where  they  entrained  for  Gondecourt.  Some  men  took  the 
trucks  overland  to  the  city  while  the  rest  of  the  Battalion  were  being 
introduced  to  the  8  Chavaux  side  door  Pullmans. 

Reaching  Gondecourt  at  2  p.  m.  Sept.  7th,  the  officers  set  to  work 
at  once  to  find  rooms  for  themselves  and  stalls  for  the  boys.  They 
left  Gondecourt  Sept.  12th,  arriving  at  Troussey  where  they  heard  the 
big  guns  for  the  first  time.  They  were  now  in  the  reserve  of  the  St. 
Mihiel  drive.  While  at  Gondecourt  Ed.  had  the  privilege  of  visiting 
an  old  castle  built  in  the  14th  century.  The  old  castle  was  built  of 
rock  and  had  openings  in  the  walls  put  there  for  the  purpose  of  de- 
fense during  the  bow  and  arrow  times.  Up  in  the  tower  there  was 
an  old  court  room  with  the  trap  door  giving  it  the  appearance  of  hav- 
ing been  inhabited  by  "Old  Hurricane."  Beneath  this  trap  door  by 
many  feet  roared  the  river  as  it  had  done  centuries  ago  when  man 
stood  on  the  trap  door  one  moment  and  the  next  was  cast  into  oblivion. 
Even  the  stalwart  Western  youth  of  America  shuddered  at  the  sight. 

233 


After  they  reached  the  St.  Mihiel  Sector  hauling  of  ammunition, 
bully  beef,  hard  tack,  gold  fish  and  all  sorts  of  canned  goods  became 
the  daily  routine  of  work.  They  left  on  Friday,  the  13th  of  Sep- 
tember, and  arrived  at  Froidos  at  6  p.  m.  on  the  17th  of  September. 
Whether  lucky  or  unlucky  it  seemed  the  13th  haunted  the  supply  train 
all  the  time. 

On  this  day  Ed.'s  truck  broke  down  and  he  had  to  wait  three  days 
to  get  it  fixed.  While  there  he  saw  a  Red  Cross  Canteen  for  the  first 
time.  They  were  now  going  toward  the  Argonne  Forest  and  the 
Hindenburg  line.  As  soon  as  the  men  reached  Froidos  the  men  of 
the  91st  went  to  the  front  and  Ed.'s  work  commenced  by  hauling 
ammunition  to  the  front.  They  had  hauled  a  lot  of  ammunition  to  a 
place  called  Very.  While  Ed.  and  other  truck  drivers  were  unloading- 
ammunition  the  Germans  had  evidently  located  their  ammunition  dump 
for  they  planted  five  shells  of  large  caliber  right  around  the  dump 
within  a  radius  of  40  yards.  The  enemy  tried  to  demolish  the  dumps 
and  trucks,  and  although  very  close,  failed  in  the  attempt. 

At  10 :45  p.  m.  on  the  25th  of  September  the  big  show  began,  the 
big  guns  began  to  play,  and  before  morning  of  the  28th  the  boys  went 
over  the  top.  The  supply  train  of  the  91st  Division  was  kept  busy 
hauling  ammunition  and  grub.  The  towns  of  Vraincourt,  Cheppy, 
Very,  Montfaucon,  Neuilly,  Aubreville  and  Clermont  became  familiar 
to  the  boys.  At  one  place  they  traveled  a  mile  and  a  half  over  a 
board  road  where  every  other  board  had  been  removed  by  the  Ger- 
mans in  their  hasty  retreat.  They  went  through  Death  Valley  where 
the  bones  of  hundreds  of  horses  and  many  soldiers  lay  bleaching  in 
the  sun.  These  were  dangerous  days,  these  were  dangerous  roads, 
and  when  one  M.  P.  misdirected  Ed.  and  led  him  to  the  wrong  place 
he  came  within  reach  of  machine  gun  bullets.  He  was  ordered  to 
hurry  back  as  quick  as  possible.  And  though  aeroplanes  swooped 
down  on  him  and  at  the  same  time  gave  signals  to  their  artillery  he 
succeeded  in  getting  over  the  hill.  The  M.  P.  had  made  a  mistake, 
but  his  load  of  3000  hand  grenades  was  safe. 

At  Epinonville  the  truck  drivers  were  shelled  again,  but  the  fear 
had  partly  disappeared  and  Ed.  picked  up  a  few  pieces  of  shrapnel 
while  others  hid  under  the  trucks.  Fortunately  no  one  was  hurt  and 
shortly  afterward  the  Division  was  relieved.  In  this  forsaken  country 
Ed.  was  kept  busy  driving  a  truck  in  a  land  where  he  knew  not  a 
single  soul,  only  those  wath  whom  he  got  acquainted  while  in  camp. 
In  this  land  of  misery  Ed.  hauled  death-dealing  devices  to  and 
wounded  back  from  "No  Man's  Land."  In  this  country  of  shell  holes, 
blowed  up  bridges,  trenches,  piles  of  stone  and  like  obstructions,  could 

234 


be  seen  miles  of  trucks  going-  forward  and  always  forward ;  for  the 
enemy  was  by  this  time  in  full  retreat.  Travel  was  consequently 
slow.  At  one  place  this  train  of  trucks  made  one  and  one-half  miles 
in  15  hours.  These  large  F.  W.  D.'s,  or  Four  Wheeled  Drive  as  they 
were  called,  did  the  work  of  keeping  the  supplies  to  the  boys  on  the 
line.  They  were  being  constantly  shelled  and  at  one  place  while 
taking  wounded  to  a  place  of  safety  a  shell  fell  on  his  truck  killing  two 
who  had  already  given  all  they  had.  They  had  been  seriously 
wounded  in  the  fighting  but  were  killed  on  their  way  to  security. 

On  the  4th  of  October  the  Division  was  relieved  from  the  line. 
After  that  they  went  into  the  timber  and  cleared  it  up  by  hauling  out 
lost  guns,  material,  and  everything  that  the  Germans  had  left  behind. 
Many  things  could  be  mentioned  that  would  be  of  interest  to  the 
reader,  but  they  became  general  and  therefore  common.  At  one 
place  Ed.  saw  an  American  aeroplane  bring  down  two  Germans,  while 
a  German  plane  downed  two  American  observation  balloons. 

They  had  been  in  action  from  the  25th  of  September  to  the  5th 
of  October,  and  from  the  6th  of  October  to  the  10th  of  October. 
They  worked  clearing  the  Argonne  and  then  moved  to  Revigny  back 
of  the  lines  almost  down  to  Barle  Due.  From  October  17  to  the 
22nd  the  Supply  Train  moved  from  Revigny  to  somewhere  in  Bel- 
gium. Some  went  on  trains  while  others  went  in  trucks.  Ed.  drove 
a  truck  all  the  way,  passing  through  the  cities  of  Vitry,  Eperney, 
Chalons-sur-Marne,  Chateau-Thierry  and  Noise-le-Sec  then  through 
Paris  and  on  through  Amiens,  Clemont,  St.  Pal,  St.  Omer,  Ypres  and 
to  St.  Jean  de  Ypres.  Here  Ed.  became  acquainted  with  the  cooties ; 
here  he  saw  where  the  first  gas  was  used  by  the  Germans.  They 
had  reached  St.  Jean  on  the  first  of  November  after  traveling  two 
dreary  weeks  in  trucks.  They  were  shelled  every  night  while  at 
Iseghan,  and  to  where  they  went  after  the  first  of  November.  They 
were  hauling  rations  instead  of  ammunition  and  continued  with  this 
kind  of  work  until  the  12th  of  December,  when  they  went  to  Proven, 
a  place  of  tin  huts,  barbed  wire,  mud  and  misery ;  for  Flanders  mud 
was  deep  at  this  place  and  at  this  time.  Everything  that  can  be 
imagined  belonging  to  warfare  had  been  there. 

Ed.  received  a  pass  at  Proven  and  went  to  Brussels,  a  beautiful 
town,  where  eats,  carfare,  shows  and  everything  in  the  amusement 
line  was  free  to  the  American  soldier.  The  city  had  not  been  damaged 
by  the  Germans  and  the  beautiful  buildings  and  parks  had  been  left 
intact.  ■•''    ^-il 

On  the  31st  of  October  the  91st  Division  had  gone  into  action  in 
Belgium  in  the  Lys-Scheldt  offensive,  but  the  Germans  were  slowly 
retreating  although  they  visited  the  Americans  every  night  with  their 
235 


bombing  planes.  November  9th  vv^as  the  last  air  raid  at  Iseghan. 
They  had  been  at  this  place  42  days.  On  Dec.  29th  they  left  Proven 
on  a  train  to  Nogent-le-Rotron,  the  last  stop ;  this  was  in  the  La  Mons 
district.  Here  he  saw  an  old-time  community  sale  v/here  everybody 
sells  his  own  produce.  Here  he  saw  another  old  castle  of  the  14th 
century  type ;  a  castle  with  walls  around  it  50  feet  high  where  common 
people  were  not,  nor  had  never  been  allowed  to  enter.  Ed.  was  in- 
side the  inclosure  but  not  through  this  6-story  rock  structure,  and  he 
wondered  while  gazing  how  long  a  castle  of  this  kind  would  stand  in 
the  Free  Wild  West  of  the  Liberty-Loving  Americans.  They,  how- 
ever, soon  left  Nogent  and  went  to  St.  Nazaire  for  embarkation.  They 
sailed  on  the  8th  of  April,  1919  on  the  Santa  Paula,  an  American  troop 
ship  and  landed  safely  in  New  York  harbor,  from  where  the  boys  were 
sent  to  Camp  Upton,  L.  L,  and  from  there  to  California. 

Ed.  was  in  a  California  hospital  awhile  on  account  of  the  ordeal 
through  which  he  had  gone.  He  soon  recovered  and  received  his  dis- 
charge and  came  home  to  see  his  parents,  who  at  the  present  time  live 
near  Jerseyville.  He  also  spent  several  weeks  with  friends  and 
relatives  in  Bethalto,  his  old  home  town.  Following  is  his  discharge 
and  enlistment  record: 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 
To  all  whom  it  may  concern:  This  is  to  certify  that  Edward  J. 
Kruse,  2275610,  Pvt.  Co.  A,  316th  Sup.  Tr.,  the  United  States  Army, 
as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby  honorably 
discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States  by  reason 
of  Cir.  106,  W.  D.  1918.  Said  Edward  J.  K  Kruse  was  born  in  East 
Alton  in  the  State  of  Illinois ;  when  enlisted  he  was  27  years  of  age, 
and  by  occupation  a  laborer.  He  had  brown  eyes,  brown  hair,  dark 
complexion,  and  was  5  feet  8  1-2  inches  in  height.  Given  under  my 
hand  at  Camp  Kearney,  Calif.,  this  9th  day  of  June,  1919.  Guy  J. 
Rour,  Lieut.  Col.  Infantry,  Commanding.  Bonus  of  $60.00,  Act  ap- 
proved Feb.  24,  1919  paid  this  date.  Camp  Kearney,  Calif.,  June  9, 
1919.     Paid  in  full,  $104.70.      Edgar  A.  Supples,  Capt.  Q.  M.  C. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name :  Edward  J.  Kruse.  Grade :  Private.  Inducted  Sept.  20, 
1917,  at  Pamona,  Calif.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at  date  of 
discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Non-commissioned  officer :  Never. 
Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating:  Not  rated.  Horse- 
manship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes,  expedi- 
tions:     St.  Mihiel,  Sept.  9-10-ll-13th;    Argonne,    Sept.    16-Oct.    4; 

236 


Ypres,  Belgium,  Oct.  31  to  Nov.  11,  1918.  Knowledge  of  any  voca- 
tion :  Laborer.  Wounds  received  in  battle  :  None.  Physical  condi- 
tion when  discharged:  Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed  Oct. 
16,  1917.  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis  completed  Oct.  16,  1917.  Married 
or  single :  Single.  Remarks :  No  A.  W.  O.  L.  under  G.  O.  31-12  or 
G.  O.  45-14.  Entitled  to  travel  pay.  Assigned  Co.  A,  316th  Eng., 
Oct.  11,  1917.  Signature  of  soldier:  Edward  J.  Kruse.  George 
Rank,  1st  Lieut.  Inf.  Commanding  C.  H.  32nd  Inf.  Demob. 


HENRY  BARBER. 

David  Henry  Barber,  son  of  David  and  Manda  Barber,  was  born 
in  Alton,  111.,  in  1891.  The  parents  were  both  Americans  and  the 
father  served  in  the  Civil  War  from  1861  to  1865,  having  been  wounded 
in  the  forehead.  The  family  moved  to  Bethalto  when  Henry  was 
eight  years  old.  They  purchased  a  home  in  Bethalto  and  Henry  re- 
ceived a  good  school  education.  After  the  death  of  the  parents  the 
children  had  to  shift  for  themselves  and  Henry  worked  awhile  as  fire- 
man on  the  C.  &  A.  He  registered  for  the  draft  in  June,  1917,  while 
working  for  H.  L.  Gulp.  When  he  was  called  to  the  colors  he  was 
sent  to  Camp  Sherman,  Ohio,  and  put  in  the  334th  Headquarters  Com- 
pany of  the  Signal  Corps,  84th  Division. 

He  trained  for  two  months,  when  on  August  28th  the  334th  Com- 
pany left  for  Camp  Mills  and  set  sail  for  France  on  the  1st  of  Sep- 
tember, and  landed  at  Southampton.  They  sailed  on  the  S.  S. 
Aquitania  and  had  on  board  10,000  troops  and  250  Red  Cross  Nurses. 
The  food  was  poor,  mostly  fish,  but  the  ship  crossed  in  eight  days, 
traveling  alone,  and  no  subs  were  sighted.  They  fired  18  shots  at 
what  was  thought  to  be  one.  The  Aquitania  had  8  subs  to  her  credit 
and  this  was  the  19th  trip  across  with  troops.  No  lights  at  night,  no 
smoking,  and  nothing  was  allowed  to  be  thrown  overboard.  They 
landed  at  Southampton  on  the  8th  of  September  and  crossed  the  chan- 
nel two  days  afterward  on  the  Margarete,  too  small  for  such  business. 
They  landed  at  La  Havre  on  the  11th  and  were  loaded  into  box  cars 
7x26,  with  44  in  each  car.  There  would  have  been  a  rebellion  had  it 
not  been  for  the  timely  arrival  of  bully  beef,  hard  tack  and  a  little  jam  ; 
this  however  appeased  them  for  awhile.  When  do  we  eat?  When 
do  we  drink?  were  the  cries.      Many  officers  were  often  drunk. 

They  finally  reached  La  Mons  where  they  remained  a  week  drill- 
ing and  hiking.  One  hundred  and  eighty  men  o  fthe  334th  were 
assigned  to  the  91st  Division  and  Henry  was  one  of  the  180  and  they 
were  at  once  sent  to  the  Argonne  Forest.       These  boys  v.-ere    from 


237 


Ohio  and  they  filled  gaps  that  the  enemy  had  made  in  the  California 
bunch.  They  rode  in  trains  to  within  28  miles  of  the  Argonne  and 
hiked  the  28  miles  in  two  days.  Henry  and  two  others  were  trans- 
ferred to  Headquarters  Company  364th  regiment.  Food  conditions 
were  normal  and  the  rains  were  copious.  They  reached  the  Forest 
on  the  25th  of  September.  Henry  reached  the  front  in  time  to  take 
part  in  four  drives  before  fighting  ceased.  They  were  in  the  St. 
jMihiel  Sector,  Verdun  Sector  at  Beuzee  Audenarde,  and  those  in  which 
the  Wild  West  fought.  The  35th  Division  was  on  their  right  and 
the  77th  on  their  left.  Many  Germans  were  killed  in  the  Forest  and 
few  prisoners  were  taken. 

After  the  armistice  was  signed  and  fighting  ceased  they  held  the 
line  awhile,  then  went  north  into  Belgium,  a  distance  of  almost  100 
miles.  Wlien  fighting  ceased  quiet  became  painful,  the  feeling  can 
hardly  be  understood.  The  nerves  were  on  such  a  keen  edge  that 
when  all  was  quiet  soldiers  could  not  sleep,  although  many  were  worn 
out.  The  French  cavalry  relieved  them.  After  they  had  been  in 
Belgium  a  while  they  were  sent  into  France  where  they  were  attached 
to  the  S.  O.  S.  making  preparation  to  go  to  some  port  of  embarkation. 
They  went  to  school  at  Le  Bernard  14  days.  They  left  St.  Aignan 
for  a  port  of  embarkation.  They  remained  at  the  port  24  hours  and 
sailed  on  the  S.  S.  Sidney,  leaving  on  the  22nd  of  March,  reaching  the 
good  old  U.  S.  A.  April  3rd. 

The  Sidney  was  much  smaller  than  the  Aquitania  and  not  so  com- 
fortable, but  Henry  was  sick  but  five  days.  The  Aquitania  was  941 
feet  long,  the  Sidney  390.  After  reaching  New  York  they  were  sent 
to  Camp  ]\Iills  where  they  remained  ten  days  and  were  then  sent  to 
Camp  Sherman,  Ohio,  where  he  received  his  honorable  discharge 
which  reads  as  near  as  could  be  ascertained  from  Henry, 
a  To  all  whom  it  may  concern:  This  is  to  certify  that  David 
Henry  Barber,  3526845,  Private  Headquarters  Company  364th  In- 
fantry, the  United  States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faith- 
ful service  is  hereby  honorably  discharged  from  the  military  service  of 
the  United  States  by  reason  of  Cir.  77  W.  D.  per  par.  6  S  .O.  72.  Said 
David  Henry  Barber  was  born  in  Alton,  Illinois.  When  enlisted  he 
was  27  years  of  age  and  by  occupation  a  truck  driver.  He  had  brown 
eyes,  dark  hair,  dark  complexion  and  was  5  feet  seven  inches  in  height. 
Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp  Sherman,  Ohio,  April  11,  1919.  Lieut. 
Meyers,  Commanding. 


238 


ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 
HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 
Name:  David  Henry  Barber.  Grade:  Private.  Enlisted  June 
17,  1918,  at  Irvington,  Indiana,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at 
date  of  discharge.  Prior  service  :  None.  Non-commissioned  officer : 
Never.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification,  or  rating:  Not  rated. 
Horsemanship  :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes,  ex- 
peditions :  Four  battles,  holding  lines  four  days,  with  the  A.  E.  F. 
Knowledge  of  any  vocation:  Truck  Driver.  Wounds  received  in 
service  :  None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged :  Good.  Typhoid 
prophylaxis  completed  June  30,  1918.  Married  or  single:  Single. 
Character:  Excellent.  Signature  of  soldier:  David  Plenry  Barber. 
Remarks :  No  A.  W.  O.  L.  No  absence  under  G-O.  45  W.  D.  1914. 
Floyd  Hamilton,  Captain ;  Lieut.  Meyers,  in  command  of  company. 


HENRY  C.  BANGERT. 

Henry  C.  Bangert,  son  of  Henry  and  Emma  Bangert,  and  brother 
of  Ed.  whose  description  is  found  in  this  book,  was  born  in  Fort  Rus- 
sell Township  June  28,  1895.  He  compelted  the  8th  grade  work  at 
the  Oak  Grove  school,  the  only  school  he  attended  during  his  school 
years,  and  after  he  quit  school  he  continued  to  work  for  his  parents  on 
the  farm  until  he  was  called  to  the  colors  Feb.  23,  1918. 

He  registered  for  the  draft  in  June,  1917,  and  left  Edwardsville 
in  company  with  Louis  Smith  and  Henry  Engleman,  of  Fort  Russell 
Township  on  the  23rd  of  February,  1918,  for  Camp  Taylor,  Ky.,  ar- 
riving there  at  10  o'clock  at  night.  He  was  placed  in  the  17th  Co., 
159th  Depot  Brigade,  where  he  remained  three  weeks  on  account  of 
being  quarantined  with  measles,  although  Henry  did  not  have  it. 

After  that  time  he  was  transferred  to  Co.  G,  33oth  Infantry.  The 
four  regiments  of  infantry  comprising  the  84th  Division  were  the 
333rd,  334th,  335th  and  336th.  After  Henry  was  placed  in  335th  In- 
fantry, he  drilled,  hiked  and  did  company  duty  common  to  all;  de- 
scriptions of  which  is  found  elsewhere  in  this  book.  Henry  was 
recommended  for  corporal,  but  he  refused,  saying  he  desired  to  remain 
a  private  during  his  stay  in  the  service. 

On  June  7th  he  was  transferred  to  Camp  Sherman,  Ohio,  near 
Chillicothe,  where  the  same  monotonous  duty  continued  until  the  23rd 
of  August,  when  the  regiment  was  sent  to  Camp  Mills  to  be  equipped 
for  overseas  duty.  He  had  been  in  training  just  six  months,  and  he 
was  considered  fit  for  actual  warfare.  On  the  way  to  Camp  Mills  they 
239 


stopped  at  Ravina,  N.  Y.,  where  they  took  a  bath  in  the  Hudson  River 
and  the  Red  Cross  gave  them  a  fine  supper ;  after  that  time  the  soldiers 
spent  an  enjoyable  evening  in  dancing. 

They  remained  at  Camp  Mills  until  the  2nd  of  September,  long 
enough  to  receive  the  balance  of  their  overseas  equipment.  They 
boarded  the  English  ship  Manilla  at  Hoboken  and  started  on  their 
journey,  a  journey  of  14  days  of  miserable  existence.  Although  he 
was  not  seasick  he  ate  but  five  meals  during  his  entire  trip.  The 
food  that  the  British  fed  to  the  American  soldiers  did  not  seem  to  suit 
the  taste  of  the  American  soldiers  who  were  used  to  cleanser,  purer 
and  more  palatable  food.  Henry  does  not  state  what  there  was  to 
eat,  only  that  which  they  had  was  not  fit  to  put  into  a  stomach  of  a 
human  and  he  therefore  let  the  stuff  alone. 

They  landed  safely  at  Liverpool,  England,  at  5  p.  m.  on  the  16th 
of  September,  got  off  the  boat  on  the  17th  and  hiked  to  Knotty  Ash, 
a  camp  about  five  miles  away,  where  they  remained  three  days.  The 
mud  at  Knotty  Ash  was  deep  and  slimy  and  the  camp  was  so  closely 
guarded  that  no  one  dared  to  sneak  out  to  get  a  breath  of  pure  air. 
They  were  cooped  up  and  nobody  was  allowed  out  for  three  days  when 
after  this  time  they  left  the  camp  and  started  on  their  way  to  South- 
ampton in  the  southern  part  of  England,  on  the  channel,  from  where 
they  could  cross  to  France.  They  stayed  long  enough  in  Birming- 
ham to  parade  then  went  to  Southampton,  where  they  went  to  a  rest 
camp  about  seven  miles  away.  They  hiked  all  the  way,  and  a  little 
rest  was  all  they  got  and  nothing  else,  for  they  soon  picked  up  their 
baggage  and  hiked  back  again  when  they  were  loaded  on  a  large 
American  steamer  that  took  them  safely  across  the  channel,  landing  at 
La  Havre  the  next  morning ;  and  as  soon  as  they  landed  they  started 
on  their  next  hike  up  the  hill  to  another  rest  camp  where  they  remained 
in  round  tents  from  10  a.  m.  until  10  p.  m.,  when  they  returned  to 
La  Havre  and  entrained  in  the  famous  French  box  cars  on  which  it 
said  "40  Hommes,  Chavoux  8,"  which  meant  there  was  standing  room 
for  either  8  horses  or  40  men. 

In  these  small  French  box  cars  they  rode  three  days  and  three 
nights.  There  were  35  soldiers  in  each  car,  and  their  bread  and  other 
rations  were  piled  up  in  the  center  of  the  car  except  where  some  was 
used  for  pillows,  etc.  They  landed  at  St.  Nugent  at  5  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  but  no  quarters  had  been  provided  for  them  so  they  just  flop- 
ped down  on  the  ground  for  the  night.  The  next  morning  they  found 
barns  and  sheds,  old  deserted  houses,  or  anything  that  was  left  after 
the  officers  had  had  their  pick. 


240 


They  remained  at  Nugent  two  weeks,  and  they  were  fast  beghi- 
ning  to  get  disgusted  or  to  care  little  what  was  going  on.  They  hiked 
and  drilled  every  day.  It  was  at  this  place  that  Henry  was  transferred 
to  Co.  F  of  the  334th  Infantry.  "Flu"  had  hit  them  hard  and  much 
transferring  had  to  be  done  to  get  the  regiments  in  regular  order 
again. 

At  the  end  of  two  weeks  Henry  was  sent  to  Ypres,  where  he  joined 
the  91st  Division,  or  Wild  West  Division.  Henry  was  learning  what 
real  warfare  is  and  found  that  hiking  and  starving  were  two  of 
misery's  ingredients.  He  had  hiked  two  days  before  he  reached  the 
91st  Division  in  Belgium.  He  had  a  good  supper  that  Saturday 
night,  he  slept  in  a  "pup"  tent  that  night ;  he  got  up  early  Sunday 
morning  and  without  any  breakfast  started  off  on  an  all  day's  hike ; 
he  put  up  for  the  night  and  the  next  morning  he  continued  his  journey. 
It  seemed  their  kitchen  did  not  travel  as  fast  as  they  did ;  for  it  was 
not  until  Monday  evening  at  6  o'clock  that  he  got  a  bite  to  eat  since 
Saturday  night.  As  may  be  realized  he  was  exhausted,  for  his  pack 
was  heavy,  roads  were  rough  and  muddy.  Thus  he  reached  the  Wild 
W^est  Division,  whose  men  had  fared  even  worse,  for  by  that  time 
many  of  their  soldiers  had  fallen  and  they  had  seen  much  misery  and 
they  needed  replacements. 

The  boys  had  arrived  on  the  21st  of  October,  and  Henry  had  been 
placed  in  Co.  F,  362nd  Infantry.  On  October  29th  they  moved  to  the 
lines  and  by  5  :30  on  the  morning  of  the  31st  of  October  they  went  over 
the  top.  This  was  on  the  Flanders  Front  in  Belgium  on  the  Scheldt, 
The  Germans,  however,  retreated  after  blowing  up  bridges  which  had 
to  be  repaired  or  pontoon  bridges  had  to  be  put  up  before  they  could 
cross.  They  continued  to  follow  the  Germans  until  the  11th  of  No- 
vember, when  firing  ceased.  They  had  followed  the  Germans  con- 
tinually for  five  days, — five  days  of  misery,  five  days  with  nothing  to 
sustain  life  but  turnips  and  water,  with  the  enemy  artillery  firing  at 
them  and  the  aeroplanes  continually  dropping  shells  on  them.  These 
five  days  of  travel,  or  hiding  in  dugouts,  made  all  of  the  boys  sick ;  it 
gave  them  cramps,  for  this  raw  food  was  not  fitfor  them  under  these 
trying  conditions. 

At  the  end  of  the  five  days  the  364th  Kitchen  finally  reached 
them  and  they  got  their  first  meal.  Shortly  after  fighting  ceased,  the 
cannon  ceased  to  roar,  the  bombing  planes  ceased  to  drop  shells,  and 
everything  turned  into  a  deathly  calmness.  Henry  heard  the  last 
shot  of  the  war  fired  and  soon  he  was  on  the  march  back  to  St.  Nazaire, 
several  hundred  miles  away,  where  they  could  embark  for  home. 
They  hiked  every  day.      On  Sunday  they  crossed  No   Man's   Land. 

241 


hiking  33  miles  to  get  to  a  place  to  sleep.  Everything  was  dismal  and 
desolate,  not  a  living  soul  there,  the  French  had  not  even  returned  and 
from  appearances  it  seemed  as  if  this  section  of  the  country  can  never 
be  cultivated  again  or  can  ever  be  made  fit  for  man  to  live.  No  pen 
can  describe  the  desolate  condition  of  this  country.  Bones  of  animals 
and  humans  piled  up ;  at  this  place  the  Germans  had  first  used  their 
gas  and  it  seemed  the  smell  of  the  gas  was  still  noticeable. 

But  anything  to  get  out  of  this,  and  they  finally  reached  a  town 
called  Ostervetter  where  they  remained  until  the  31st  of  December, 
when  they  took  the  train  and  rode  all  New  Year's  Day,  landing  at  St. 
Nazaire  at  10  a.  m.  on  the  second  day  of  January,  1919.  From  St. 
Nazaire  they  hiked  25  miles  to  a  town  called  St.  Fluent,  where  they 
remained  until  the  23rd  of  March,  when  they  once  more  hiked  back  to 
St.  Nazaire.  from  where  they  went  to  Camp  No.  4,  where  they  re- 
mained until  the  first  of  April  when  they  boarded  the  ship  Lancaster, 
an  American  freighter,  which  had  been  converted  into  a  troop  ship. 

They  set  sail  on  the  second  of  April  and  started  on  a  14  days' 
trip  across,  landing  at  Hoboken  on  the  16th  day  of  April.  Henry 
had  been  gone  nearly  eight  months  and  during  this  time  he  had  seen 
no  one  with  whom  he  was  acquainted,  excepting  Louis  Schmidt,  whom 
he  saw  the  last  week  he  was  in  France.  Louis  had  been  with  the 
309th  Engineers,  and  had  been  stationed  on  the  coast  all  the  time. 

Henry  landed  at  Hoboken  on  the  16th,  went  to  Camp  Mills  where 
he  remained  a  week,  and  was  then  sent  to  Camp  Grant,  where  he  re- 
ceived his  discharge  on  the  last  of  April,  reaching  home  on  the  first 
day  of  May,  after  an  absence  of  nearly  15  months. 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern:  This  is  to  certify  that  Henry  C. 
Bangert,  1993943,  Private  Co.  F,  362nd  Infantry,  the  United  States 
Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby  honor- 
ably discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States,  by 
reason  of  convenience  of  government,  Cir.  106,  W.  D.,  1918.  Said 
Henry  C.  Bangert  was  born  in  Fort  Russell  in  the  State  of  Illinois. 
When  enlisted  he  was  22  years  of  age  and  by  occupation  a  farmer. 
He  had  blue  eyes,  light  hair,  fair  complexion,  and  was  5  feet  6  inches 
in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp  Grant,  111.,  this  29th  day 
of  April,  1919.      Clinton  Rush,  Maj.  Inf.  U.  S.  A.  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name :  Henry  C.  Bangert.  Grade :  Private.  Inducted  Feb.  23, 
1918,  at  Madison  Co.,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at  date  of 
discharge.    Prior  service:    None.    Non-commissioned  officer:    Never. 

242 


Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating:  Not  qualified.  Horse- 
manship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes,  expedi- 
tions :  Served  A.  E.  F.  Sept.  30,  1918,  to  April  16,  1919,  Lys-Scheldt 
(Belgium)  October  31,  1918,  to  November  11,  1918.  Knowledge  of 
any  vocation :  Farmer.  Wounds  received  in  service :  None.  Physical 
condition  when  discharged :  Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed 
3-14-18.  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis  completed  3-14-'18.  Married 
or  single :  Single.  Character :  Excellent.  Signature  of  soldier : 
Henry  C.  Bangert.  Clyde  Bledson,  2nd  Lieut.  161st  D.  B.  Command- 
ing. Camp  Grant,  111.,  April  29,  1919.  Paid  in  full,  $106.65,  including 
bonus  of  S60.00,  Act  of  February  24.  1919.  S.  H.  Francis,  Captain 
Quartermaster  Corps. 


JOHN  W.  SILLAND 

John  \\'.  Silland.  son  of  Charles  and  Hettie  Silland,  was  born  on 
a  farm  a  mile  east  of  Bethalto  Dec.  19,  1893.  He  attended  the  Grove 
school,  completing  the  Sixth  grade  work ;  and  after  he  quit  school  he 
remained  at  home  working  for  the  parents  until  he  was  called  to  the 
colors  in  1917. 

He  registered  in  June,  1917,  and  was  one  of  the  first  to  leave  Fort 
Russell  Township.  He  was  called  to  the  colors  September  the  19th 
and  left  Edwardsville  on  that  date  in  company  with  Ed.  Bangert  and 
Gus  Memkin;  and  was  sent  to  Camp  Taylor,  Ky.,  a  camp  just  being 
formed  and  where  the  84th  Division  received  its  origin.  He  reached 
Camp  Taylor  on  the  20th  of  September  and  was  placed  in  Co.  B,  333rd 
Infantry.  During  his  short  stay  at  Camp  Taylor  he  received  training 
in  infantry  drills  and  the  ordinary  company  duty,  remaining  there 
until  the  29th  of  ^larch,  when  he  with  others  left  Camp  Taylor  for 
Camp  Merritt,  where  they  were  to  be  fitted  out  for  overseas  duty. 

John  was  at  ]\Ierritt  eight  days  and  during  his  stay  he  was  fitted 
out  with  overseas  clothing.  He  did  not  receive  any  other  equipment 
until  he  got  across.  On  the  morning  of  the  8th  of  April  they  left 
Camp  Merritt  for  Hoboken,  N.  J.,  where  they  boarded  the  large  trans- 
port Covington  that  had  formerly  been  a  German  liner,  but  was  now 
under  American  command,  and  consequently  they  received  American 
food  which  was  considered  only  fair.  The  sea  was  very  rough  for 
three  days  and  John  became  seasick  for  a  while.  After  that  the 
waters  became  calm  and  the  rest  of  the  way  was  smooth  sailing,  sight- 
ing but  one  submarine,  and  it  made  no  attempt  to  torpedo  the  boat, 
although  every  soldier  was  scared  up  a  bit. 

243 


They  landed  at  Brest,  France,  on  the  22nd  of  April  having  been 
on  the  water  14  days.  They  remained  at  the  Old  Napoleon  Barracks 
about  a  week  and  on  account  of  the  smallness  of  the  camp  and  more 
soldiers  coming  in  the  boys  left  for  their  inland  journey.  They  were 
placed  in  small  box  cars,  42  in  each  car  not  large  enough  to  accom- 
modate one  half  that  number,  and  as  a  consequence  there  was  no  room 
to  lie  down  and  sleep,  so  they  sat  down  or  stood  up  to  sleep.  They 
rode  in  this  crowded  condition  three  days  and  two  nights  and  stopped 
at  St.  Aignan,  where  a  large  camp  was  located.  After  he  was  in 
camp  two  days  John  was  attached  to  the  military  police  or  M.  P.'s  as 
they  were  called,  and  was  used  to  guard  warehouses,  storehouses  and 
other  places,  where  much  material  was  stored.  The  M.  P.'s  guarded 
six  hours  at  a  time  from  6  to  12  a.  m.,  from  12  to  6  p.  m.  and  from 
6  to  12  P.  M.  There  was  no  guard  duty  the  latter  part  of  the  night 
excepting  at  railroad  crossings  where  guards  were  continually  sta- 
tioned. There  was  much  traffic  at  St.  Aignan  and  the  crossings  had 
to  be  continually  guarded.  John  was  on  this  police  force  for  three 
months  until  the  22nd  of  July,  when  he  left  the  116th  M.  P.  to  join 
the  Fourth  Division. 

The  Fourth  Division  had  been  in  action  quite  a  while  and  had 
lost  many  of  its  men  in  their  second  battle  which  had  started  on  the 
15th  of  July.  The  Fourth  Division  was  organized  at  Camp  Greene, 
N.  C,  and  embarked  for  France  in  April,  1918.  Their  artillery  trained 
at  Camp  De  Souge,  while  the  infantry  went  to  the  Marne  where  in 
June  they  assisted  the  French  in  the  battle  of  the  Marne  and  later  on 
they  assisted  them  on  July  18th  to  20th. 

The  Fourth  Division  had  taken  part  in  the  second  battle  of  the 
Marne  and  many  had  lost  their  lives  and  these  gaps  had  to  be  filled  by 
others  so  John  helped  fill  up  the  gap  that  had  been  made.  He  joined 
the  Fourth  Division  at  Lizy  and  was  placed  in  Co.  G,  59th  Infantry, 
at  8  p.  m.  on  the  25th  of  July.  The  place  was  not  the  pleasantest  in 
the  world ;  they  received  the  promise  of  a  good  supper,  that  was  all, 
a  promise;  they  received  the  promise  of  a  good  warm  breakfast  but 
a  promise  was  all  they  received.  They  finally  received  a  good  fill 
at  11  o'clock  the  next  day. 

The  59th  had  been  over  the  top ;  they  had  gained  their  objective 
but  they  had  paid  dear  for  it,  and  by  the  25th  they  had  not  fully  re- 
covered ;  they  were  resting  up  for  another  dash  and  a  night  without 
supper  and  a  morning  without  breakfast  mattered  little  to  the  old 
ones,  but  it  was  almost  unbearable  to  the  new  comers  for  they  had 
much  to  learn. 

The  new  ones  received  their  equipment  such  as  caps,  wrapped  leg- 

244 


gins,  masks,  and  helmets  at  Lizy  and  loaded  it  on  trucks  and  the  men 
hiked  until  8  p.  m.  until  they  reached  a  big  woods  where  their  com- 
pany was  stationed.  They  remained  at  this  place  until  the  28th  of 
July  when  the  Division  moved  forward  to  the  St.  Mihiel  Sector.  They 
passed  the  Chateau  Thierry  Front,  saw  the  big  Chateau  from  a  short 
distance.      They  traveled  through  a  large  area  of  ruined  territory. 

They  traveled  easterly  and  hiked  all  the  way ;  they  traveled  in 
the  day  time  and  rested  at  night,  although  they  were  continually  under 
shell  fire  of  the  large  guns.  After  three  days  hiking  they  came  nearer 
the  lines  and  instead  of  hiking  in  the  day  time  they  hiked  for  three 
nights  and  rested  and  hid  in  the  daytime.  They  crossed  the  Vesle 
River  on  a  bridge  made  of  poles  and  logs,  for  the  bridges  were  all 
gone.  They  remained  in  the  valley  and  along  the  railroad  track  four 
days ;  at  the  end  of  this  time  the  company  on  their  right  made  an  at- 
tack while  the  other  companies  expected  a  counter  attack  but  it  did 
not  come ;  but  the  enemy  put  over  a  terrible  gas  barrage  all  morning 
and  a  large  number  were  gassed  and  wounded.  John  carried  chow 
during  these  days,  which  was  a  dangerous  job. 

The  next  morning  they  received  orders  to  continue  their  journey 
for  the  St.  Mihiel  Sector ;  this  took  about  a  week's  hike.  When  they 
reached  this  sector  they  were  put  in  the  front  line  trenches  for  10  days. 
On  the  6th  of  September  the  59th  Infantry  relieved  the  French  troops 
in  the  Toulon  Sector  south  of  Verdun.  Again  John  carried  eats  in 
the  trenches ;  when  they  reached  the  trenches  this  sector  was  quiet  but 
by  the  12th  of  September  it  became  more  disturbing  and  on  the  15th 
the  infantry  was  relieved  from  the  line,  and  the  Division  was  moved 
to  the  woods  near  Lemmes  on  the  night  of  September  19-20,  where 
they  were  out  of  range  of  small  guns. 

Shortly  after  that  they  received  orders  to  "roll  packs"  and  move 
forward  and  they  started  for  the  Argonne  over  into  "No  Man's  Land," 
where  everything  was  devastated.  They  hiked  two  days  through  ter- 
ritory that  the  Germans  had  evacuated,  rested  awhile,  then  hiked  three 
more  days  before  reaching  the  Argonne  on  the  29th  of  September. 
They  went  to  the  front  lines  on  Sunday  morning  and  remained  there 
six  days,  returned  for  a  rest  but  it  was  only  of  a  few  hours'  duration, 
for  they  received  orders  to  move  forward  at  once  for  the  Germans 
were  threatening  to  make  an  attack  to  split  the  Division  in  two  and 
by  piercing  their  center  would  surround  them. 

The  morale  of  our  boys  was  good,  the.y  had  lots  of  "pep"  and 
were  ready  for  the  onslaught.  They  crossed  a  large  open  field  and 
entered  the  woods  beyond.  This  was  costly.  John  acted  as  stretcher 
bearer.      There  were  ten  stretcher  bearers  but  this  was  not  enough  and 


245 


a  number  of  others  had  to  l)e  pressed  into  the  service.  It  took  four 
men  for  one  stretcher  and  the  men  fell  thick  and  fast.  They  were 
far  beyond  the  place  where  an  ambulance  could  go  and  the  wounded 
had  to  be  carried  a  long  distance.  This  was  a  long  dreary  time  for 
John,  it  was  a  nerve-breaking  time,  more  wounded  than  could  be  quick- 
ly relieved.  Even  two  stretcher  bearers  were  wounded  while  he  was 
v.'ith  them,  yet  John  got  through  it  all  right  and  he  received  not  a 
scratch. 

During  these  twenty  days  of  fighting  many  a  brave  boy  lost  his 
life.  Company  G  started  with  219  men  and  when  the  woods,  their 
objective,  was  reached  only  65  men  remained,  the  rest  were  either 
killed,  wounded  or  missing. 

Not  all  vvho  were  wounded  had  to  be  carried  from  the  field ;  at 
one  time  John  led  two  brave  fellows  to  a  place  that  was  safe;  they 
were  able  to  walk  but  had  to  lean  on  John  for  support.  Machine  gun 
bullets  were  flying  everywhere,  it  was  no  wonder  so  many  fell.  After 
they  got  into  the  center  of  the  wood  they  rested  and  held  the  lines. 
German  and  American  dead  often  lay  side  by  side;  oh,  why  should 
this  have  been !  the  encounter  was  too  awful  to  think  about ;  the  price 
was  high  and  the  toll  was  heavy,  but  it  was  over  at  last  and  the 
enemy  was  in  full  retreat. 

This  was  the  greatest  blow  in  the  greatest  of  all  battles ;  it  had 
started  at  5 :30  a.  m.  on  the  26th  of  September ;  they  were  northwest 
of  Verdun ;  the  first  phase  was  in  Forges  Woods,  the  second  in  Fay's 
Woods,  and  the  third  phase  was  beyond  Fay's  Woods.  The  whole 
Division  had  lost  6,000  men,  but  they  had  penetrated  the  enemy's  de- 
fenses to  a  depth  of  about  ten  miles,  had  captured  2731  prisoners,  57 
cannon,  228  machine  guns  and  much  ammunition.  John  can  be  proud 
of  having  done  his  part  in  this  Division. 

They  were  relieved  on  the  24th  of  October  by  another  Division 
and  they  went  back  of  the  lines  for  a  rest.  While  resting  up  they 
cleaned  up  and  got  their  ranks  filled  again  for  another  drive.  They 
started  back  reaching  the  woods  that  was  full  of  French  barracks,  at 
1 :30  of  the  morning  of  the  eleventh  of  November.  They  knew  noth- 
ing of  what  was  soon  to  happen ;  but  it  happened  and  the  boys  re- 
mained in  these  barracks  until  the  19th  of  November ;  during  this  stay 
John  was  made  Company  Mechanic.  The  boys  drew  new  and  clean 
clothes, — shoes,  uniforms,  etc. 

After  that  they  started  on  their  famous  hike  into  Germany.  Sev- 
eral other  Bethalto  boys  had  this  same  hike,  although  not  passing 
through  the  same  towns.  John's  hike  will  be  explained  in  detail 
judging  therefrom  what  the  others  did.      On  the  19th  they  hiked  13 

246 


kilos  to  Essay;  on  the  20th,  44  kilos  to  Harlitz ;  on  the  21st,  25  kilos 
to  Gondremont ;  on  the  22nd,  20  kilos  to  Garsch. 

At  Garsch  they  had  a  good  fill  of  bully  beef  and  hard  tack  ;  they 
went  deer  hunting  with  the  officers,  bagging  two  deer  and  60  jack  rab- 
bits. Col.  Wise,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  4th  Division,  was  with 
them  at  Garsch.  They  were  nearing  the  line  where  the  German  and 
French  languages  were  spoken ;  they  remained  on  this  line  until  the 
second  of  December,  when  the  march  was  resumed. 

On  the  2nd  of  December  they  hiked  25  kilos  into  Luxemburg  to 
Reinish  on  the  3rd,  25  kilos  to  a  German  castle ;  on  the  4th,  29  kilos  to 
Greiners  ;  on  the  5th  28  kilos  to  Joan  ;  on  the  7th  15  kilos  to  Herneskel ; 
on  the  8th.  39  kilos  to  Sencemeber ;  on  the  9th,  20  kilos  to  Rehanner; 
on  the  10th.  18  kilos  to  Heinzebach  ;  on  the  12th,  22  kilos  to  Moritz- 
hem  ;  on  the  15th,  16  kilos  to  Brenn  ;  on  the  16th,  16  kilos  to  Ellenz, 
where  they  remained  until  April,  1919.  Here  in  the  neighborhood 
they  were  stationed  with  the  German  people  ;  they  were  on  the  rifle 
range  two  weeks.  After  leaving  Ellenz  they  went  to  Potensdorn  where 
they  remained  a  week,  thence  to  Kaiser's  Ash,  Bell,  Franken,  Vallen- 
der,  Engers,  Bendorf,  and  Remagen.  At  Remagen  they  stayed  with 
the  German  people  until  they  started  for  home. 

During  his  15  months'  stay  in  France,  Luxemburg  and  Germany 
he  never  met  a  soul  whom  he  knew  in  this  country.  During  his  15 
months'  stay  he  never  received  a  pass  or  furlough,  and  John  was 
happy  when  the  day  came  for  the  boys  to  leave  for  home  and  mother. 
They  remained  at  Remagen  until  the  10th  of  July,  during  which  time 
they  drilled  and  kept  in  trim  for  their  journey.  They  left  Remagen 
at  3  a.  m.  on  the  10th  of  July  for  Sinzig  where  on  the  following 
morning  at  4  :30  they  sailed  for  Brest  in  American  box  cars.  They 
were  now  on  their  homeward  journey ;  it  is  true  the  American  box 
cars  were  larger  than  those  of  the  French  but  they  also  were  crowded ; 
yet  it  mattered  not  about  that,  these  cars  seemed  like  palaces  to  them 
now.  They  were  comfortable  and  content  for  every  turn  of  the 
wheel  brought  them  nearer  home.  They  made  these  cars  their  home 
for  three  days.  They  were  at  Brest  five  days  and  left  on  the  Mount 
Vernon,  reaching  Hoboken  on  the  first  of  August.  The  sea  was 
smooth  as  glass ;  a  fine  voyage  and  no  sea-sickness  ;  rations  were  good 
and  but  eight  days  on  the  water. 

From  Hoboken  they  went  to  Camp  Merritt  where  they  remained 
a  few  days,  after  which  the  Illinois  boys  were  sent  to  Camp  Grant  to 
be  discharged.  They  remained  at  Camp  Grant  a  few  days — long 
enough  to  have  their  papers  made  out — and  were  discharged  on  the 


247 


9th  of  August,  1919;  reaching  home  the  next  day,  Sunday,  August 
10th,  1919. 

Extract:  Special  Order  145,  July  20,  1919.  Under  the  pro- 
visions of  General  Orders  No.  75,  G.  H.  I.,  A.  E.  F.,  1919,  John  W. 
Silland,  Mechanic  1976032  Co.  G,  59th  Infantry,  is  entitled  to  wear 
the  service  ribbon  with  fciur  bronze  stars  for  participation  in  the 
AisTie-Marne  Offensive  July  18— Aug.  6,  1918;  St.  Mihiel  Offensive 
Sept.  12— Sept.  16th,  1918;  Meuse-Argonne  Offensive  Sept.  26th- 
Nov.  11th,  1918.  By  order  of  Colonel  Garber,  William  F.  Rehm, 
Capt.  59th  Infantry  Personal  Adjutant. 

Extract:  Special  Order  131.  Under  authority  contained  in 
Paragraph  8,  G.  O.  No.  110,  G.  H.  I.,  A.  E.  F.,  1918,  Pvt.  Silland,  John 
W.  1976032,  Co.  G  59th  U.  S.  Infantry  is  entitled  to  wear  2  war  service 
chevrons.  By  order  of  Colonel  Garver,  William  F.  Rehm,  Captain 
59th  Infantry,  Personal  Adjutant. 

The  Division  Commander  publishes  with  pride  the  following  letter 
to  the  Command:  American  Expeditionary  Forces,  Office  of  the 
Commander-in-Chief.  France,  March  25,  1919.  Major  General 
Mark  L.  Hersey,  Commanding  4th  Division,  A.  E.  F.  Germany.  My 
Dear  General  Hersey :  It  is  with  deep  gratification  that  I  observed 
the  excellent  condition  of  the  4th  Division  on  the  occasion  of  my  in- 
spection on  Alarch  18.  The  transportation  and  artillery  of  the 
Division  were  in  splendid  shape  and  the  general  appearance  of  the 
men  was  equal  to  the  highest  standards.  Throughout  the  inspection 
and  review,  the  high  morale  existing  in  all  the  ranks  was  evident. 
Arriving  in  France  in  May,  the  4th  Division  was  first  engaged  in  the 
Marne  counter-offensive  on  July  18th  as  a  part  of  the  French  VI.  The 
army  detachments  aided  in  the  crossing  of  the  Ourck  and  on  August 
3rd-4th  the  Division  advanced  on  the  Vesle.  In  the  reduction  of  the 
St.  Mihiel  salient,  it  carried  its  objectives  with  effectiveness  and  pre- 
cision. For  the  opening  attack  of  the  Meuse-Argonne  offensive,  the 
4th  Division  was  put  into  the  line  as  the  center  unit  of  the  3rd  Corps 
and  by  its  aggressiveness  made  a  total  advance  of  13  kilometers, 
despite  continued  and  heavy  resistance.  As  a  part  of  the  3rd  Army, 
the  Division  participated  in  the  march  into  Germany  and  the  subse- 
quent occupation  of  enemy  territory.  I  am  pleased  to  mention  the  ex- 
cellent conduct  of  the  men  in  these  difficult  circumstances,  for  which, 
as  well  as  for  their  services  in  battle,  they  are  due  the  gratitude  of  the 
nation.  I  wish  to  express  to  each  man  my  own  appreciation  of  the 
splendid  work  that  has  been  done  and  the  assurance  of  my  continued 
interest  in  his  welfare.  Most  sincerely  yours,  John  J.  Pershing.  By 
Command  of  Major  General  Hersey,  C.    A.  Bach,    Colonel    General 

248 


Staff,  Chief  of  Staff.      Max  B.  Garber,  Lt.  Col.  58th  Infantry,  Acthig 
Adjutant. 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 
To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  John  W. 
Silland,  1976032,  Private  Co;  G  59th  Infantry,  the  United  States  Army, 
as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby  honorably 
discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States  by  reason  of 
convenience  of  government,  demobilization  of  organization,  per  Cir- 
cular 106,  W.  D.  1918.  Said  John  W.  Silland  was  born  in  Ft.  Rus- 
sell, in  the  State  of  Illinois.  When  enlisted  he  was  23  years  of  age 
and  by  occupation  a  farmer.  He  had  blue  eyes,  light  hair,  ruddy  com- 
plexion, and  was  5  feet  6  inches  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at 
Camp  Grant,  111.,  this  9th  day  of  August,  1919.  Frank  W.  Sherwood, 
Major  Signal  Corps,  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD 
Name :  John  W.  Silland.  Grade :  Private.  Inducted  Sept.  19, 
1917,  at  Edwardsville,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at  date 
of  discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Non-commissioned  officer :  Ap- 
pointed mechanic  Dec.  16,  1918,  Mechanic  to  private,  June  10,  1919. 
Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification,  or  rating:  2nd  class.  Horse- 
manship: Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes,  expedi- 
tions. Allied  offensive,  S.  Marne  27  July,  13  Aug.  1918,  St.  Mihiel 
Aug.  12-18,  1918.  Meuse  Argonne  Sept.  26,  Nov.  11,  1918.  Decor- 
ations, badges :  None.  Medals,  citations :  None.  Knowledge  of  any 
vocation:  Farmer.  Wounds  received  in  battle:  None.  Physical 
condition  when  discharged:  Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  com- 
pleted Oct.  12,  1917.  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis  completed  Oct.  12, 
1917.  Married  or  single :  Single.  Character :  Excellent.  Remarks : 
Entitled  to  travel  pay  to  Edwardsville,  111.  Sailed  from  U.  S.  April 
8.  1918 ;  returned  to  U.  S.  Aug.  1,  1919.  Absence  without  leave  under 
G.  O.  No.  31,  W.  D.  1912,  and  No.  45  W.  D.  1914:  None.  Signature 
of  soldier :  John  W.  Silland.  Wheeler  Wells,  1st  Lieut.  C.  A.  C.  Com- 
manding Demob.  Group.  Camp  Grant,  111.,  Aug.  9th,  1919.  Paid  in 
full  $111.55,  including  bonus  of  $60.00,  Act  of  Feb.  24,  1919.  P.  G. 
Hoyt,  Major  Q.  M.  C. 


249 


LEO.  F.  WILLIS. 

Leo  F.  Willis,  son  of  Peter  and  Clementine  Willis,  was  born  in 
New  Haven,  Mo.,  July  19,  1890.  His  father  died  when  Leo  was  a 
child  and  the  mother  moved  to  St.  Louis  where  Leo  received  his  edu- 
cation at  the  Catholic  Parochial  Schools,  completing  the  Eighth  grade 
work.  In  1908  the  family  moved  to  Godfrey  Township,  north  of  Al- 
ton, and  they  engaged  in  florist  business  where  Leo  became  quite  an 
efficient  helper  until  June  5,  1917,  when  he  registered  for  the  service 
and  immediately  after  he  had  registered  he  went  to  St.  Louis  to  enlist 
in  the  army.  It  did  not  matter  what  branch  of  the  service.  He  was 
accepted  and  sent  to  the  Armory  at  Grand  and  Market  streets.  This 
was  a  recruiting  station  for  the  St.  Louis  National  Guard. 

He  enlisted  in  the  First  Missouri  Guard,  Co.  B,  which  afterward 
merged  into  Co.  B,  138th  Infantry,  35th  Division.  Those  who  en- 
listed were  mostly  from  Kansas  and  Missouri  besides  some  from  towns 
near  St.  Louis.  After  Leo  enlisted  he  was  sent  to  Alton,  his  home 
town,  to  guard  bridges  for  nearly  two  months,  after  v/hich  time  his 
company  left  and  went  to  Camp  Maxwelton,  where  they  put  up  tents 
and  where  they  remained  until  the  25th  of  August,  when  the  mobiliza- 
tion was  completed.  They  were  then  sent  to  Camp  Clark,  near 
Nevada,  Mo.,  where  all  the  Missouri  regiments  were  being  mobilized. 

At  Camp  Clark  the  St.  Louis  contingent  joined  other  Missouri 
elements  and  they  were  called  Missouri  National  Guards.  On  Sept. 
29th  they  left  Camp  Clark  and  went  to  Fort  Sill,  Oklahoma,  where 
Camp  Doniphan  was  located.  This  was  a  desert  looking  place,  shaped 
like  a  horseshoe,  and  well  fitted  for  trying  conditions  that  were  im- 
posed upon  them.  They  had  reached  this  place  on  the  2nd  of  October. 
1917,  and  were  at  once  put  to  the  test.  The  first  and  fifth  combined 
and  formed  the  famous  138th,  composed  chiefly  of  St.  Louis  and 
vicinity  boys.  The  training  was  intense ;  rifle  and  bayonet  practice 
amidst  hot  sandstorms  was  not  an  unusual  occurrence. 

They  finally  started  on  their  beautiful  trip  through  14  states  to 
Camp  Mills,  L.  I.,  where  they  made  preparation  in  the  line  of  over- 
seas equipment  for  overseas  duty.  They  were  on  the  train  five  days 
from  Port  Sill  to  Camp  Mills.  They  stopped  at  St.  Louis  where  they 
could  bid  good-bye  to  their  folks,  but  very  few  saw  them,  for  they 
reached  the  city  in  a  downpouring  rain  at  midnight. 

They  remained  at  Camp  Mills  twelve  days  on  account  of  shortage 
of  equipment,  and  on  May  2nd,  1918,  they  hiked  to  Hoboken,  crossed 
on  a  ferry  and  were  put  on  ship  at  2  p.  m.  This  was  an  English 
steamer,  Leicestershire,  English  crew,  Hindoo  servants,  British  food, 
rice,  rabbit,  tea,  etc.  Superstition  was  strong  among  the  servants; 
they  would  eat  nothing  unless  the  meal  was  watched  over  by  a  live 

250 


goat.  The  cooks  baked  crullers  at  night  and  sold  them  to  the  sea- 
sick soldiers  in  the  daytime.  The  "eats"  kept  getting  worse  until  the 
Americans  took  charge  of  the  cooking,  and  they  received  American 
cooking  on  the  rest  of  their  journey,  and  all  was  well. 

There  were  14  ships  in  the  convoy,  no  subs  were  sighted,  no  inci- 
dents on  the  way,  and  they  landed  safely  at  Liverpool  on  the  16th  of 
May.  From  Liverpool  they  went  to  Winchester  to  a  rest  camp  where 
they  remained  nearly  two  days,  then  went  to  Southampton  where  they 
remained  all  day  and  at  night  crossed  the  channel  on  the  steamer 
Prince  George. 

The  trip  across  the  channel  was  another  episode  that  dare  not  be 
fully  described,  so  it  will  be  stated  that  the  boat  was  quite  crowded  or 
in  other  terms  very  much  packed.  Leo  had  been  made  corporal  in 
New  York  on  the  22nd  day  of  April,  and  from  then  on  he  had  charge 
of  a  squadron.  They  landed  safely  at  La  Havre,  and  the  first  sight 
that  met  their  eyes  was  that  of  a  large  bunch  of  American  wounded 
soldiers.  Leo  never  forgot  the  look  those  wounded  soldiers  gave 
them;  although  they  said  nothing,  their  look  expressed  the  thought 
of  "God  pity  you,  boys,"  but  the  new  bunch  had  no  time  to  think  and 
besides  there  was  no  time  for  such  thoughts  when  there  was  work  to 
be  done  that  required  an  iron  spirit.  They  went  from  La  Havre  to 
Camp  No.  1,  up  hill,  full  pack,  to  the  round  tents,  British  rations, 
British  gas  instructions,  etc.  and  a  hike  back  down  the  long  winding 
hill  after  a  day's  rest,  drill,  sleep  and  gas  house  tests. 

At  La  Havre  they  got  rid  of  all  surplus  baggage  containing  their 
valuables,  etc.,  their  barracks  bag  and  all.  This  should  all  have  been 
returned  to  Hoboken  where  they  could  receive  them  on  their  return 
home ;  but  it  was  never  seen  again.  What  became  of  all  of  this  was 
never  known.  The  last  they  saw  of  it  was  when  it  was  piled  up  in 
the  streets  at  La  Havre.  Many  of  our  boys  followed  Leo  later  and 
all  remember  well  Rest  Camp  No.  1,  about  six  miles  up  the  hill  from 
La  Havre.  After  again  reaching  La  Havre  they  rode  in  compartment 
trains  all  night  without  being  molested  by  aeroplanes  that  tried  to  de- 
stroy the  train  at  midnight. 

They  got  off  the  train  at  Eu  in  the  morning  and  were  led  to  break- 
fast by  a  bunch  of  Scotch  musicians  with  their  pipes.  After  break- 
fast they  hiked  10  kilos  to  Dargneirs,  where  they  remained  two  weeks, 
and  received  a  good  rest.  While  there  they  were  constantly  trained 
by  the  British  and  were  in  support  at  the  same  time,  for  the  Germans 
were  expected  to  break  through  at  any  time.  Their  training  was 
mostly  in  discipline,  although  they  had  some  machine  gun  and  bayonet 
practice.      They  could  hear  the  roar  of  the  large  guns. 

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They  left  that  place  on  a  hike — an  all  day's  hike, — to  a  town 
called  New  Chatel,  got  in  box  cars,  some  open,  some  closed,  rode  three 
days  and  three  nights  rain  or  shine,  finally  reaching  Hadol  Heights  in 
Alsace  Lorraine.  No  American  box  cars  were  seen  at  this  time  and 
the  famous  French  box  cars  were  resorted  to.  After  American  en- 
gineers reached  France  they  changed  the  model  and  mode  of  the  en- 
gines and  cars.  After  they  got  out  of  the  cars  in  Alsace  they  slept 
in  fields,  and  the  next  day  they  went  down  the  valley  to  the  town  of 
Hadol  Heights  in  lorries  or  trucks. 

They  had  had  a  little  fighting  there  but  the  town  had  not  been 
shelled  very  much  as  the  location  was  of  not  much  vital  importance 
to  the  Germans.  This  was  high  up  in  the  mountains,  and  it  seemed 
this  place  had  been  captured  by  the  French  at  the  beginning  of  the 
war  in  1914,  and  now  the  lines  were  being  tightly  held  by  both  parties, 
and  as  it  was  of  little  importance  they  used  this  territory  to  train  sol- 
diers in  trench  warfare  before  they  were  ready  for  the  big  front. 

They  left  Hadol  Heights  for  Wesserling,  where  they  remained 
several  days;  the  inhabitants  spoke  both  French  and  German  and  no 
hatred  was  shown  toward  each  other ;  there  was  no  animosity  between 
the  two  nations,  and  above  all  a  love  for  America  and  everything 
American  was  plainly  discerned  which  showed  that  it  was  easy  for 
American  soldiers  to  spread  American  propaganda  into  the  enemy 
territory. 

On  the  29th  of  June  they  left  Wesserling  on  a  hike  higher  up  in 
the  mountains  for  the  trenches.  This  hike  took  two  days,  reaching 
Camp  Fochiday  in  the  night.  They  always  traveled  at  night  and  hid 
and  rested  in  the  day  time.  They  were  high  up  in  the  mountains, 
and  although  it  was  June  29th  when  they  reached  the  trenches  the 
weather,  though  beautiful  and  the  scenery  more  beautiful,  the  climate 
was  very  cold.  The  rule  with  both  French  and  Germans  seemed  to 
be  let  each  other  alone  and  "nobody  gets  hurt ;"  but  our  boys  had  not 
gone  those  thousands  of  miles  to  make  a  playhouse  in  the  Vosges 
mountains,  so  on  the  6th  of  July  they  had  a  chance  to  show  their  skill 
and  courage.  This  was  their  first  experience  in  going  over  the  top. 
The  Americans  lost  six  men  killed  but  no  real  gain  was  made,  and  the 
next  morning  they  found  their  dead  and  took  them  back  and  buried 
them  during  which  time  no  firing  was  done  on  either  side.  Such  is 
life,  such  is  war ;  no  hatred,  but  duty. 

The  main  object  of  trench  raiding  was  the  training  they  were  get- 
ting. The  trench  had  yielded  about  16  prisoners.  After  many  days 
of  intensive  training  and  guarding  they  were  relieved  by  the  French. 
They  had  been  in  the  first  line  trenches  from  July  2  to  July  10th. 

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Spy  system  seemed  to  be  perfect  among  the  Germans,  for  when- 
ever they  changed  posts  the  Germans  would  always  be  ready  to  fire 
upon  them  and  when  they  were  relieved  the  Germans  fired  incessantly. 
How  they  received  their  information  no  one  knew. 

From  the  trenches  they  went  through  Wesserling  to  Kruft.  where 
they  had  a  few  hours  sleep,  and  from  there  they  went  to  Theifosse 
which  was  still  in  the  Lorraine  Sector.  There  they  received  intensive 
training  in  open  warfare.  There  Leo  was  transferred  to  the  Intelli- 
gence Department  where  he  learned  patrolling,  sniping,  etc.,  to  get 
information,  and  above  all  he  learned  to  keep  up  the  liaison. 

On  August  11th  they  left  in  lorries  for  the  trenches  near  Le  Ruh- 
lin,  a  town  that  had  been  heavily  shelled.  There  they  had  their  first 
experience  in  No  Man's  Land.  They  were  in  the  trenches  from  Aug. 
11th  to  Sept.  1st,  still  in  Alsace  Lorraine,  but  in  a  different  sector. 
During  this  time  it  was  scouting,  guarding,  patrolling,  etc.,  every 
night ;  hiding  in  an  old  German  Convent  in  the  daytime  and  guarding, 
always  guarding,  at  night.  This  was  called  the  Paree  Sector  and  al- 
though badly  torn  up  by  shells  it  was  now  a  lonely  quiet  sector  and 
appeared  to  be  deserted  by  everybody  and  everything. 

On  the  first  of  September  they  left  this  sector;  and  although  the 
rain  was  coming  down  something  awful  the  Germans  gave  them 
another  heavy  shelling  upon  being  relieved.  Their  casualties  were 
greater  than  before.  They  left  for  the  St.  Mihiel  Sector  to  a  town 
called  Fraize,  still  in  the  Vosges  Mountains,  where  they  remained  until 
the  4th  of  September,  when  the  time  came  for  the  awful  and  unmerci- 
ful hiking  that  every  member  of  the  138th  who  is  alive  well  re- 
members. 

They  hiked  and  rode  to  Luneville  in  the  rain,  a  long  and  dreary 
hike  and  upon  reaching  Luneville  they  hiked  four  kilos  more  where 
they  received  coffee  and  bread  ;  the  rain  seemed  to  never  cease.  After 
an  hour's  rest  they  went  on  the  hike  again.  By  this  time  their  "pep" 
was  beginning  to  go  down  some.  While  on  this  hike  they  passed  the 
graves  of  the  first  Americans  who  lost  their  lives  in  France.  It  was 
enough  to  lose  their  vim  and  strength  but  with  all  the  hiking  in  the 
rain  and  bad  weather  their  morale  was  still  ascending  and  they  were 
ready  to  push  on.  Upon  reaching  Rosiers  they  found  that  another 
company  had  occupied  the  town  and  they  had  to  hike  to  another  town 
that  night  and  although  the  town  looked  beautiful  from  a  distance, 
upon  reaching  it  found  it  to  be  the  filthiest  of  all  filthy  places  ever 
observed  by  an  American  soldier.  Happily  they  remained  there  but 
two  days  and  they  were  ordered  to  leave  this  town  of  Barbonville. 

They  left  on  the  9th  of  September  and  hiked  about  15  kilos  in 

25i3 


the  rain,  flopped  right  down  in  the  mud  to  rest.  They  hiked  through 
Nancy  and  remained  in  the  outskirts  all  day  and  again  hiked  through 
Nancy  and  in  the  neighborhood  until  the  soldiers  got  restless.  They 
were  beginning  to  get  dissatisfied  with  so  much  useless  hiking  in  the 
rain  and  mud  with  no  shelter  and  so  little  to  eat.  But  the  sun  soon 
appeared,  their  kitchen  arrived,  and  things  went  better  and  they 
reached  the  St.  Mihiel  sector  on  the  12th  of  September. 

On  the  16th  they  started  on  the  hike  again ;  they  were  in  reserve 
but  they  were  not  needed,  for  the  Germans  were  rapidly  retreating 
from  the  St.  Mihiel  Sector;  but  the  35th  Division  received  the  credit 
just  the  same  for  they  were  the  unseen  force  in  this  territory.  They 
hiked  and  rode  until  they  reached  the  woods  where  they  remained  till 
midnight.  They  thought  they  would  get  a  little  rest  but  no  more  rest 
for  the  35th  Division  for  they  were  on  the  way  to  the  Argonne,  al- 
though they  did  not  know  it.  On  and  on  they  went,  no  rest  but  on 
and  on. 

They  had  not  been  at  the  front  in  the  St.  Mihiel  Sector  but  they 
had  been  a  force  there.  It  would  probably  have  been  better  for  them 
in  the  future  if  they  had  been  at  the  front,  for  when  they  went  into  the 
Argonne  Forest  they  still  lacked  the  real  experience  of  fighting  in  the 
open. 

They  reached  the  woods  on  the  night  of  the  19th  of  September. 
They  were  east  of  Beauchamp,  where  they  relieved  the  73rd  French 
Division.  They  remained  there  until  the  morning  of  that  memorable 
26th  of  September.  On  the  evening  before,  they  got  rid  of  their 
surplus  equipment  and  retained  their  rations,  a  raincoat,  two  bandol- 
eers of  ammunition,  five  grenades,  a  rifle  and  bayonet,  a  belt  of  am- 
munition and  a  gas  mask.  The  rations  consisted  of  a  box  of  hard 
tack,  a  can  of  gold  fish,  a  can  of  corn  beef,  and  two  canteens  of  water. 
On  that  evening  they  received  a  good  supper  and  the  information  that 
the  big  game  was  soon  to  commence.  Their  objective  was  the  town 
of  Buzancy,  but  many  a  boy  did  not  reach  this  railroad  town  with  its 
mines  and  other  industries. 

They  hiked  all  night  until  3  o'clock  in  the  morning ;  and  were  sub- 
jected to  an  awful  barrage  which  caused  them  to  witness  some  awful 
scenes.  They  were  beginning  to  enter  upon  the  real  horrors  of  war. 
They  were  ordered  to  lie  down  and  rest,  but  the  morning  was  too  cold. 
They  had  but  a  short  time  to  wait  for  5:15  a.  m.  was  soon  reached. 
When  the  Americans  started  their  terrible  barrage  at  5 :55  they  started 
down  the  hill.  A  heavy  fog  lay  in  the  valley,  a  beautiful  scene ;  but 
the  beautiful  scene  was  counter-balanced  by  the  sight  of  the  dead  and 
wounded  that  were  strewn  everywhere. 

254 


On  account  of  the  fog  many  got  lost  and  Major  Saurwein  ordered 
Leo  to  find  Co.  A,  but  he  did  not  succeed  until  4  p.  m.,  and  when  he 
returned  he  learned  that  the  major  had- paid  the  price.  They  lay  quiet 
all  that  night  and  the  next  morning  they  went  out  to  find  the  stragglers 
and  here  they  again  met  awful  sights.  Americans  and  Germans  lay 
around  everywhere. 

The  91st  Division  was  east  of  them,  and  the  28th  Division  was 
west  of  them.  Besides  several  other  divisions,  these  were  also  in  the 
thick  of  the  fight.  :Many  stragglers  got  mixed  up  on  account  of  the 
thick  fog,  and  it  was  difficult  to  keep  up  the  liaison.  Leo  acted  as 
runner  for  the  First  Battalion  Headquarters.  Later  on  they  went 
closer  to  the  lines.  They  were  now  in  the  open,  high  up  in  the  hills. 
Between  10  and  11  o'clock  the  fog  lifted  and  the  sun  began  to  shine. 
They  were  not  prepared  for  this  but  the  Germans  were  and  the  35th 
Division  received  an  awful  punishment  from  their  machine  guns  and 
artillery.      They  were  too  much  exposed. 

They  entrenched  themselves  in  a  hurry,  for  had  they  not  hurried 
the  whole  bunch  would  have  been  annihilated.  While  thus  hid  a 
shell  of  large  caliber  came  along  and  buried  itself  in  the  ground  under- 
neath Leo  and  another  Alton  boy,  but  luckily  it  did  not  explode.  It 
was  what  was  termed  a  "dud."  The  partner  remarked  that  the  "dud" 
had  "damn  near  got  them"  for  the  earth  trembled  underneath  them. 
This  brought  a  smile  in  spite  of  the  seriousness,  for  not  all  were  dead 
ones,  not  all  were  "duds." 

Finally  seven  tanks— some  French,  some  American— came  along 
and  the  Germans  increased  their  fire  and  many  of  our  boys  who  were 
near  were  killed,  for  the  tanks  drew  the  enemy's  fire.  Among  those 
who  fell  v.as  Leo's  friend,  Thad  Vaughn,  from  Alton.  At  5:30 
orders  came  to  follov^^  the  tanks.  The  140th  took  the  lead  and  the 
138th  followed  close  behind.  They  had  by  this  time  crossed  the  open 
plain  and  were  ready  to  go  down  the  hill  into  the  valley  beyond.  The 
Germans  let  the  140th  go  down  over  the  brow  of  the  hill  but  evidently 
tried  to  keep  the  138th  and  the  140th  separated,  for  they  put  up  an 
awful  fire  between  the  two  in  order  to  annihilate  the  138th  and  sur- 
round the  140th.  The  enemy  could  see  their  movements  from  the 
hill  beyond,  the  sky  was  clear  and  they  were  familiar  with  every  foot 
of  the  ground  and  their  fire  was  almost  perfect. 

This  crest  of  the  hill  at  the  end  of  the  plateau  will  remain  forever 
in  the  minds  of  those  who  partook  in  this  effort  to  cross.  Some  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  through  this  barrage.  Nobody  knows  how.  Leo 
was  corporal  of  the  second  squad  and  leading  it  when  they  reached  the 
brow.  On  they  went,  each  about  five  spaces  from  the  other.  He 
saw  two  flashes,  he  heard  an  explosion.      The  result  of  this  was,  two 


255 


boys  in  front  of  him  in  the  first  squad  were  wounded  and  he  felt  that 
he  was  hit.  He  called  to  the  one  behind  him  that  they  had  got  him, 
that  he  was  done  for,  but  he  received  no  answer.  Scotty,  a  pal  just 
behind  him,  being  a  tall  man,  had  received  the  piece  of  shell  that  had 
flown  over  Leo's  head.      The  top  of  Scotty's  head  had  been  shot  off. 

A  large  piece  of  shell  had  flown  between  Leo's  knees  while  his 
right  fo6t  was  in  front  of  the  left,  thus  causing  the  muscle  of  his  right 
leg  to  be  shot  away  and  the  shin  bone  of  his  left  to  go,  besides  shatter- 
ing the  other  small  bone  in  his  left  leg.  It  had  torn  his  leg  almost  off, 
and  he  lay  helpless  on  the  ground.  The  other  boys,  seeing  Leo  helpless, 
disregarded  orders  not  to  stop  and  help  a  wounded  soldier,  but  he  was 
not  only  a  soldier  but  also  a  friend  and  pal.  They  carried  him  be- 
hind a  knoll,  for  there  were  no  stretcher  bearers  in  sight.  They  made 
a  stretcher  by  taking  two  rifles  and  two  coats  and  rolled  him  on  this, 
but  his  leg  fell  off  the  litter  and  he  could  not  bear  the  pain,  so  they 
laid  him  down  again  and  waited  for  the  stretcher  bearers.  While 
lying  waiting  for  stretcher  bearers  to  come  up  he  learned  why  Scotty 
had  not  answered. 

When  the  stretcher  bearers  came  up  they  carried  him  back  about 
a  hundred  yards  where  the  129th  machine  gun  battalion  had  put  up  a 
first  aid  station  in  an  old  dry  creek  bed.  The  shells  were  shrieking 
over  something  terrific,  but  none  cared.  Here  he  met  Walter  Stiritz, 
of  Alton,  who  had  got  hurt  the  day  before  and  was  unable  to  go  on 
on  account  of  his  swollen  ankle.  Walter  realized  the  seriousness  of 
Leo's  condition  and  in  spite  of  his  own  injury  he  and  three  others  car- 
ried Leo  through  the  barrage  to  the  138th  Battalion  First  Aid  Station, 
after  receiving  two  shots  of  anti-tetanic  serum  to  defeat  the  probabil- 
ity of  tetanus  or  lock  jaw  as  the  boys  are  wont  to  call  it. 

He  lay  on  the  ground  from  the  evening  of  the  27th  until  the  next 
afternoon,  for  they  were  short  of  ambulances.  They  finally  took  him 
down  the  Very  Road  to  Field  Hospital  Mobile  No.  2,  located  some- 
where in  the  field  near  Very.  They  redressed  his  wounds,  put  splints 
on  both  legs  and  sent  him  to  Hospital  No.  10  in  an  ambulance  at  5  p.  m. 
on  the  same  day.  Leo  never  lost  consciousness  during  all  this  time. 
He  saw  many  a  "buddie"  in  misery.  He  saw  all  the  tables  full  and  he 
saw  also  what  he  had  to  go  through.  He  was  finally  placed  on  the 
table  where  he  became  unconscious  and  remained  so  for  three  days 
after  which  time  he  awoke  and  called  for  his  pipe. 

From  this  hospital  he  was  shipped  to  Base  42.  This  was  back 
of  the  Argonne.  His  legs  were  badly  infected,  and  the  order  was 
given  to  have  the  left  leg  amputated  to  save  his  life,  but  while  tagging 
soldiers  to  be  sent  to  Base  30  they  placed  one  on  him  through  mistake 
and  he  was  sent  there  without  the  operation.      George  Juttemeyer  of 

256 


Alton  informed  him  later  tiiat  only  this  error  saved  his  leg.  The 
wounded  were  placed  in  French  box  cars  and  they  rode  three  days 
and  three  nights  to  Base  30  in  that  awful  condition  without  any 
medical  attention.  They  finally  reached  the  place,  located  at  Royate 
near  Clermont.  He  was  at  Base  30  five  weeks  and  during  that  time 
he  received  excellent  treatment.  He  was  put  in  Class  D  and  was 
billed  for  the  States. 

He  was  at  this  hospital  when  the  armistice  was  signed  and  he  felt 
happy  for  those  who  had  survived  the  awful  ordeal  and  for  those  who 
were  about  to  enter  the  arena.  On  Nov.  17  he  left  on  an  American 
Red  Cross  train  for  Brest.  There  was  a  great  difference  between  this 
ride  and  the  one  he  had  taken  five  weeks  before.  He  rode  two  days, 
finally  reaching  Brest,  which  was  at  this  time  in  the  midst  of  its  rainy 
season.  Through  some  error  he  waited  five  weeks  to  sail  for  home. 
The  boys  were  sure  a  happy  bunch  when  they  finally  received  orders 
to  go.  The  boys  were  crazy  to  hear  from  home ;  they  had  heard 
nothing  since  the  10th  of  September.  When  they  finally  reached  New 
York,  having  arrived  there  Jan  5,  1919,  on  the  Agamemnon,  they  re- 
ceived their  mail.  Plere  he  had  plenty  of  time  to  read  his  letters. 
From  New  York  he  was  sent  to  Camp  Grant,  where  another  oper- 
ation was  performed  upon  his  left  leg.  They  again  figured  on  cut- 
ting the  leg  ofT  but  he  pulled  through,  and  on  the  19th  of  March  he 
was  transferred  to  Fort  Sheridan  where  is  located  the  best  of  hospitals. 
Here  he  received  a  5-day  pass  to  come  home.  This  was  the  first  time 
he  had  seen  Alton  after  an  absence  of  two  years.  His  thoughts  ran 
fast  and  he  planned  to  express  his  thoughts  to  his  friends  upon  his  ar- 
rival but  when  he  reached  the  good  old  town  he  was  choked  with  emo- 
tion and  all  he  said  was  "I'm  Glad!"  He  was  discharged  from  the 
hospital  October  25,  1919. 

Leo  became  part  of  Bethalto  several  years  ago ;  he  gained  many 
friends  around  here  on  account  of  his  mild  disposition.  He  became 
acquainted  with  Miss  Edna  Culp,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Iferb  Culp, 
who  live  a  few  miles  north  of  Bethalto.  This  acquaintance  grew  into 
friendship,  and  this  friendship  developed  to  such  a  degree  that  after 
Leo  joined  the  great  forces,  many  a  missive  and  many  a  parcel  of 
good  things  left  Bethalto  to  make  life  more  pleasant  for  him ;  the  con- 
clusion of  which  was  that  friends  and  relatives  of  both  parties  had  a 
real  chance  to  send  congratulations  on  the  12th  of  August,  1919.  On 
this  day  Leo  and  Edna  were  married  at  Chicago  shortly  before  he  was 
discharged  from  the  army. 


2S7 


Following-  is  his  discharge  and  enlistment  record : 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Leo.  F. 
Willis,  1451498,  Corporal  B,  138th  Infantry,  the  United  States  Army, 
as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby  honorably 
discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States  by  reason 
of  S.  C.  D.  L.  D.  4th  Md.  H.  C.  D.,  Chicago,  111.,  Oct.  15,  1919.  Said 
Leo  F.  Willis  was  born  in  New  Haven,  in  the  State  of  Missouri.  When 
enlisted  he  was  26  years  of  age  and  by  occupation  a  florist  designen 
He  had  brown  eyes,  brown  hair,  ruddy  complexion  and  was  5  feet 
7  1-2  inches  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  G.  H.  No.  28,  Fort 
Sheridan,  111.,  this  25th  day  of  October,  1919.  Daniel  E.  Egan, 
Major  Med.  Corps.  U.  S.  A.,  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 
Name:  Leo  F.  Willis,  1451498.  Grade:  Corporal.  Enlisted 
June  5,  1917,  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at  date 
of  discharge.  Prior  service :  None.  Non-commissioned  officer : 
Corporal,  April  22,  1918.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rat- 
ing :  Not  rated.  Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engage- 
ments, skirmishes,  expeditions :  St.  Mihiel  Sept.  12-16,  1918,  Meuse- 
Argonne  Sept.  26-27,  1918.  Decorations,  medals,  badges,  or  citations : 
None.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation :  Florist  Designer.  Wounds  re- 
ceived in  service :  G.  S.  W.  leg  left  thigh  rt.,  Sept.  27,  1918.  Physical 
condition  when  discharged :  Poor.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed 
Sept.,  1917.  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis  completed  Sept.,  1917.  Married 
or  single  :  Married.  Character :  Excellent.  Remarks  :  No  A.  W.  O.  L., 
no  absence  under  G.  O.  31-12  or  45-14.  Entitled  to  travel  pay  to  St. 
Louis,  Mo.  Entitled  to  $60.00  bonus,  served  in  France.  Left  U.  S. 
May  3,  1918,  arrived  in  U.  S.  Jan.  6,  1919.  Signature  of  soldier: 
Leo  F.  Willis.  E.  J.  Down,  Capt.  Son  Corps  U.  S.  A.,  Commanding 
Dt.  of  Patients. 


GEORGE  THOMAS  ECCLES. 


George  Thomas  Eccles,  son  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  Eccles, 
was  born  in  Berkshire,  England,  May  24,  1899.  His  parents  were 
English  and  his  father  died  when  George  was  three  years  old.  Shortly 
after  his  father's  death  his  mother  came  to  America  with  her  sons, 
George  and  Sydney,  and  they  lived  in  Alton  until  the  mother  also  died, 
leaving  the  two  brothers  alone.  They  had  lived  in  Alton  about  ten 
years  and  George  received  his    first  schooling    in  the    Alton    public 

258 


school.  After  the  mother's  death  George,  then  ten  years  old.  was 
adopted  by  August  Henke  of  Moro  township,  a  few  miles  east  of 
Bethalto.  Mr.  Henke,  a  prominent  farmer  and  kind  man,  gave 
George  all  the  advantages  possible ;  he  sent  him  to  the  Yorkville  school 
where  he  received  a  good  common  school  education,  completing  the 
Eighth  grade.  George  had  a  good  home  at  Henke's  and  he  remained 
with  them  until  he  became  old  enough  to  receive  his  naturalization 
papers. 

George  felt  he  had  a  duty  to  perform,  even  though  he  was  but 
19  years  of  age,  and  that  was  to  assist  Uncle  Sam  in  time  of  need,  for 
the  United  States  was  by  that  time  his  country.  He  went  to  St.  Louis 
and  enlisted  in  the  Tank  Corps  on  the  2nd  of  November,  1918,  took 
the  oath  on  the  6th,  and  on  the  8th  he  left  Edwardsville  for  Camp 
Polk,  Raleigh.  N.  C,  reaching  that  place  on  the  10th,  just  a  day  before 
the  armistice  was  signed.  He  was  found  fit  for  the  duties  and  he 
was  put  in  Co.  A.  343rd  Battalion.  The  343rd  was  rapidly  filling  up 
to  war  strength  and  was  getting  ready  to  leave  for  France  on  the  5th 
of  December. 

The  signing  of  the  armistice  did  not  retard  the  progress  that  was 
being  made  in  the  Tank  Service,  and  George  started  to  learn  the 
various  infantry  drills,  gas  drills  and  rifle  drills;  but  his  principal 
study  was  in  tanks  and  tank  service.  There  were  many  tanks  of  all 
classes  at  Camp  Polk,  for  the  camp  was  exclusively  used  for  the  tank 
corps.  Nearly  all  the  tanks  were  American  made,  although  a  few 
were  British  tanks.  The  trucks  were  of  all  sizes  and  some  as  large 
as  40  tons. 

George  continued  studying  for  awhile,  and  was  then  sent  to  Camp 
Greene,  Charlotte,  N.  C,  where  he  did  company  duty  for  two  weeks, 
when  he  received  orders  that  he  would  be  sent  to  Camp  Grant  to  be 
mustered  out  of  the  service.  He  had  enlisted  for  the  duration  of  the 
war  and  as  it  was  considered  that  war  was  over  he  received  his  dis- 
charge at  Camp  Grant  after  he  had  been  at  Camp  Grant  seven  days. 
Although  he  had  followed  his  own  inclinations,  he  felt  he  was  doing 
his  duty  to  enlist  and  although  he  was  in  the  service  but  two  months 
he  had  done  his  bit ;  he  was  ready  to  remain  if  the  government  needed 
him.  He  was  discharged  from  the  Tank  Corps  on  the  second  of 
January,  1919. 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 
To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  George 
Thomas  Eccles,  5651018,  Private  72,  Co.  18  Bn.  Inf.,  R.  &  T.  T.,  the 
United  States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service, 
is  hereby  honorably  discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United 

259 


States  by  reason  of  S.  B.  360,  Hdq.  Camp  Grant,  for  Con.  of  Gov.  per 
par.  1,  Dec.  29,  1918.  Said  Private  George  Thomas  Eccles  was  born 
in  Berkshire  in  the  State  of  England.  When  enlisted  he  was  19  years 
of  age  and  by  occupation  a  farmer.  He  had  blue  eyes,  brown  hair, 
fair  complexion,  and  was  5  feet  5  3-4  inches  in  height.  Given  under 
my  hand  at  Camp  Grant,  111.,  this  2nd  day  of  January,  1919.  Hamil- 
ton D.  Turner,  Major  in  U.  S.  A.,  18th  Bn.  Inf.  Repl.  and  Trng. 
Troops  Discharge  Detch.,  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name  :  George  Thomas  Eccles.  Grade  :  Private.  Enlisted  Nov. 
8,  1918,  at  Edwardsville,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at  date 
of  discharge.  Prior  service  :  None.  Non-commissioned  ofticer :  Pvt. 
Co.  A,  343  Bn.  Tank  Corps.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or 
rating :  Not  rated.  Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engage- 
ments, skirmishes,  expeditions  :  None.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation : 
Farmer.  Wounds  received  in  service :  None.  Physical  condition 
when  discharged :  Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed ;  Para- 
typhoid prophylaxis  is  completed.  Married  or  single  :  Single.  Char- 
acter :  Excellent.  Remarks :  No  A.  W.  O.  L.  or  absent  under  G.  O. 
45  or  31-12.  Signature  of  soldier  :  George  Thomas  Eccles.  Robert 
J.  Hawkins,  2nd  Lieut.  U.  S.  Army,  Commanding  72  C.  18  Bn.  Inf. 
R.  &  T  T.  Paid  in  full  $59.84,  Jan.  2,  1919,  Camp  Grant,  111.  Alex  C. 
McKelvey,  Capt.  Q.  M.  Corps ;  E.  B.  Weller,  2nd  Lieut.  Q.  M.  C. 


WILLIAM  H.  WOHLERT. 

William  H.  Wohlert,  son  of  Henry  and  Mary  \^'ohlert,  was  born 
in  Bethalto,  March  12th,  1893.  His  father  came  to  America  with  his 
parents  when  he  was  eight  years  old,  and  his  mother  was  brought  to 
America  when  she  was  a  year  old.  Will's  grandfather  Wohlert,  who 
came  to  America  in  1879,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Franco-Prussian  war, 
being  a  member  of  the  Prussian  Guards.  Will  was  fond  of  hearing 
the  stories  his  grandfather  told  him  while  he  was  in  the  war.  He 
told  him  he  had  belonged  to  the  Prussian  Guards,  of  which  he  always 
seemed  proud,  and  Will  wondered  what  Prussian  Guards  looked  like 
when  in  their  uniforms.  In  relating  stories  of  the  Franco-Prussian 
war  he  would  sometimes  display  two  large  scars,  one  across  his  chest 
and  one  across  his  legs,  having  received  them  from  the  French  cavalry 
while  he  was  with  the  Prussian  Guards.  Those  large  gashes  in  his 
grandfather's  body  meant  much  to  Will,  and  when  the  old  man  would 
tell  him  he  received  them  in  the  Argonne  Forest  while  they  were  taking 

260 


Alsace-Lorraine  away  from  the  French,  Will  again  wondered  why  they 
took  Alsace-Lorraine  away  from  France  and  wondered  what  Alsace- 
Lorraine  and  Argonne  Forest  were. 

Thus  Will  in  his  youth  was  taught  things  he  could  not  under- 
stand. He  was  taught  something  he  could  not  comprehend.  He 
could  not  realize  what  all  this  could  be  about,  that  they  should  make 
such  deep  scars  in  his  grandfather's  body.  He  dreamed  of  cavalry, 
of  the  Argonne  and  Lorraine,  little  realizing  he  would  some  day  meet 
the  Prussian  Guards  in  the  Argonne  in  Lorraine.  He  did  not  realize 
at  this  time  that  he  would  be  selected  to  help  undo  what  his  grand- 
father had  helped  to  do.  He  did  not  realize  that  he  would  meet 
Prussian  Guards  face  to  face  and  be  treated  by  them  in  the  same  man- 
ner at  the  same  place  that  the  French  had  treated  his  grandfather. 

However,  Will  had  but  a  short  time  of  his  dream-life  that  he  could 
call  his  own ;  for  as  soon  as  he  completed  the  Eighth  grade  work  at 
school  at  Bethalto  he  at  once  went  to  work  for  his  father,  who  was 
section  foreman  at  Bethalto  at  the  time.  On  account  of  the  poor 
health  of  his  father  Will  became  section  foreman  at  Bethalto  at  the 
age  of  15,  and  also  for  a  while  at  Alton.  He  became  section  foreman 
at  Dorchester  when  he  was  17  years  old,  and  the  family  moved  there 
in  order  to  be  near  Will's  work. 

In  1911  when  Will  was  18  years  old  his  father  died  and  Will  held 
the  position  as  section  foreman  until  September,  1911,  when  he  went 
to  work  in  the  railroad  office  for  the  Big  4  and  C.  and  E.  I.  at  Nokomis, 
111.  In  1914  the  family  moved  to  East  Alton  and  Will  quit  the  R.  R. 
office  and  went  to  work  for  the  Western  Cartridge  Company.  He 
worked  for  the  Western  about  a  year  when  the  family  moved  to  Alton 
and  Will  went  to  work  as  shipping  clerk  at  Duncan's  Foundry  <S: 
Machine  Works,  a  position  he  was  holding  when  he  registered  for  the 
service,  a  position  he  was  holding  when  he  joined  the  colors,  and 
again  received  after  he  was  discharged  from  the  service. 

He  registered  for  the  service  in  June,  1917.  He  tried  to  enlist  in 
the  navy  in  July,  1917,  but  was  found  too  light  for  his  height.  In 
September,  1917,  he  tried  the  navy  again  and  also  the  army,  but  they 
rejected  him  both  times  on  account  of  enlargement  of  the  heart,  so  he 
had  to  wait  until  his  number  was  drawn. 

When  a  ruling  was  made  by  the  War  Department  that  a  person 
could  go  ahead  of  his  time  by  volunteering,  Will  took  advantage  of 
this  and  went  ahead  of  his  turn  by  2,000  and  he  went  in  the  place  of 
another  on  the  29th  of  April,  1918.  He  was  sent  to  Camp  Dix,  N.  J., 
with  82  Alton  boys  and  was  placed  in  Co.  6,  152nd  Depot  Brigade. 
There  was  very  little  drilling  at  Camp  Dix,  no  uniforms  were  received 

261 


there,  and  during  his  three  weeks  stay  not  much  of  anything  but  wait- 
ing was  done  while  in  the  Depot  Brigade. 

Finally  word  was  received  that  they  were  going  to  leave.  In  the 
latter  part  of  May  they  were  sent  to  Camp  Lee,  Va.,  w^here  Will  was 
put  in  Co.  F,  147th  Infantry,  37th  Division.  This  Division  was  made 
up  of  Ohio  National  Guards.  The  Ohio  National  Guards  had  been  in 
training  since  the  beginning  of  the  war  and  Will  among  others  was 
sent  there  to  fill  up  the  regiment  to  war  strength.  At  Camp  Lee, 
therefore,  the  new  men  had  to  drill  and  hike  early  and  late.  They 
had  to  complete  in  a  few  weeks  what  the  others  had  done  in  as  many 
years.       They  received  their  rifles  at  Camp  Lee. 

The  37th  Division  had  come  up  from  Camp  Sheridan,  Alabama, 
about  ten  days  before;  they  were  all  well  trained  and  in  order  to  re- 
ceive the  same  traiting  the  new  ones  drilled  from  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning  until  10  o'clock  at  night ;  not  only  one  day  but  every  day  dur- 
ing their  entire  stay  at  this  camp,  which  was  happily  not  very  long,  for 
on  the  22nd  of  June  they  hiked  from  Camp  Lee  with  full  packs  to  City 
Point,  got  on  a  boat  and  floated  down  the  James  River  to  Newport 
News,  Va.,  where  they  got  on  the  ship  Pocahontas  and  left  Newport 
News  on  the  morning  of  the  23rd  to  cross  the  waters  with  American 
Expeditionary  Forces. 

The  Pocahontas,  formerly  the  Princess  Irene,  had  been  the 
Kaiser's  pleasure  boat,  but  she  was  now  in  the  hands  of  the  Americans 
and  the  boys  were  fed  by  the  Americans  and  were  given  American 
food  and  therefore  everything  went  lovely,  and  the  convoy  of  13  boats 
had  no  mishaps  and  they  reached  Brest  on  the  oth  of  July,  1918. 

They  went  to  the  Pontenesen  Camp,  but  remained  there  only 
four  hours  and  were  again  marched  to  Brest,  where  they  boarded  sec- 
ond class  passenger  coaches  on  which  they  rode  three  days  and  three 
nights,  reaching  Damblain,  in  the  Leuneville  Sector,  about  50  miles 
from  Nancy.  They  were  traveling  eastward  and  while  going  through 
Nancy  they  had  their  first  experience  in  warfare,  for  here  they  heard 
the  cannon  for  the  first  time.  Here  after  having  left  home  a  little 
more  than  two  months  before  they  were  under  shell  fire  more  than 
6,000  miles  away. 

Will  had  volunteered  to  take  another's  place  in  order  to  hurry 
matters  along,  but  he  did  not  expect  to  get  along  in  such  a  hurry. 
They  remained  at  Damblain  until  the  night  of  the  16th  of  July,  when 
they  boarded  trains  to  within  10  miles  from  the  lines.  Landing  at  3 
o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  17th  they  started  on  a  30-mile  hike  along 
the  line  and  reached  the  town  of  Rehaire,  about  1  1-2  miles  from  the 
front  lines.      They  were  sent  there  to  relieve  the  77th  Division  so  that 

262 


they  could  receive  further  instructions.  The  77th  had  lost  about  3 
miles  of  ground  and  the  37th  relieved  them  and  held  the  lines.  Will 
at  once  became  one  of  the  boys  for  outpost  duty  and  remained  there 
ten  days;  they  had  their  rations  carried  to  them  at  night  when  pos- 
sible and  if  at  times  it  was  impossible  to  receive  rations  they  used  their 
reserve  rations. 

During-  these  ten  days  they  were  continually  under  shell  fire  and 
machine  gun  fire.  On  the  first  night  Will  received  his  first  dose  of 
gas ;  this  was  on  the  18th  of  August.  It  was  bad  enough  to  have 
to  be  sent  to  a  hospital  and  the  gas  made  him  sick  for  a  few  hours, 
but  he  remained  on  duty ;  besides  it  was  next  to  impossible  to  leave 
excepting  at  night,  for  they  were  now  in  No  Man's  Land  and  the 
place  could  be  called  by  no  other  name. 

They  were  in  the  trenches  that  the  Germans  had  abandoned  dur- 
ing their  1914  drive.  This  was  high  up  in  the  Vosges  Mountains. 
After  coming  out  of  the  lines  they  were  sent  to  a  patrol  school  to  get 
more  training  in  patrol  duty  and  trench  warfare.  They  were  learn- 
ing how  to  keep  out  of  a  barrage.  They  had  learned  how  to  use  the 
sureshot  French  Automatic  rifle  at  Damblain,  and  at  the  school  Ram- 
bler Villier  they  practiced  in  raiding  and  taking  machine  gun  nests  and 
pill  boxes  for  a  week  and  were  again  sent  out  on  patrol  duty  for  fifteen 
days.  They  were  happy-go-lucky  fellows,  and  although  sometimes 
only  a  stone's  throv/  from  the  Germans,  fear  had  left  them  and  this 
absence  of  fear  often  resulted  in  the  Germans  retreating  and  only  once 
did  our  boys  retreat,  that  was  when  they  fell  into  an  ambush  patrol. 
The  night  was  pitch  dark,  the  carrier  had  got  lost  and  the  loader  was 
not  needed  when  there  was  no  ammunition.  At  times  when  new  men 
went  along  they  would  get  lost,  where  old  ones  who  were  familiar  with 
the  scenery  could  find  their  way  back  even  in  the  darkness.  It  thus 
happened  that  when  a  grenade  burst  in  the  center  of  their  diamond 
shaped  formation  that  seven  got  lost  and  had  to  hide  two  days  before 
they  could  be  rescued,  for  they  did  not  dare  to  show  themselves  in  the 
daytime  and  had  no  knowledge  of  the  routes  at  night.  Will  was 
rifleman,  his  carrier  acted  as  scout.  At  one  time  while  creeping  along 
to  find  out  who  was  opposing  them  Will  put  his  hand  on  a  German 
who  lay  still  as  death ;  it  was  a  creepy  feeling,  but  he  kept  his  hand  on 
the  German  while  he  communicated  with  the  other  hand  with  the 
sergeant  and  the  two  took  the  prisoner  but  since  the  sergeant  was  in 
charge  of  the  patrol  he  received  credit  for  it.  They  turned  the 
prisoner  in  to  the  intelligence  department  to  ascertain  if  possible  who 
were  opposing  them,  and  then  returned  him  to  his  company,  for  they 
had  no  means  of  taking  care  of  prisoners ;  when,  however,  five  Alsace 


263 


Lorrainers  came  up  and  surrendered,  they  sent  them  to  a  prison  camp. 
These  were  of  French  origin  and  were  opposed  to  fighting  the  French, 
and  when  the  opportunity  arose  they  sneaked  away  and  surrendered. 

Thus  the  time  went  on  until  the  18th  of  September  came  and  they 
left  for  the  \'erdun  front,  reaching  that  place  on  the  21st  of  September. 
Some  had  walked,  some  had  rode  in  box  cars ;  and  when  they  did  reach 
their  destination  they  had  traveled  too  fast  to  have  their  food  supplies 
keep  up  with  them,  so  they  lay  around  four  days  with  practically  noth- 
ing to  eat. 

On  the  25th  of  September  they  hiked  for  the  lines  and  on  the  26th 
the  Division  advanced  12  kilometers,  or  about  7  miles.  They  were 
entering  the  Argonne  Forest.  They  were  entering  Lorraine  territory. 
They  were  now  at  a  place  where  the  grandfather  had  stood  forty-seven 
years  before.  They  were  now  in  the  act  of  wresting  from  the  Ger- 
mans what  they  had  wrested  from  the  French.  Here  the  grandchild 
was  given  the  duty  to  help  undo  what  his  grandfather  had  helped  to 
do.  Will's  thoughts  were  now  of  his  boyhood  days.  The  lessons 
he  had  learned  when  a  boy  were  clearing  up.  He  had  learned  what 
the  Argonne  Forest  is;  he  had  learned  what  Lorraine  is;  he  had 
learned  what  Prussian  Guards  were ;  for  the  regiment  had  faced  noth- 
ing but  Prussian  Guards  and  here  again  in  the  Argonne  the  Prussian 
Guards  were  opposing  them.  The  grandfather  had  been  proud  of  his 
wounds,  he  had  been  proud  of  belonging  to  as  noble  a  division  as  the 
Prussian  Guards.  Will's  feelings  were  aroused,  and,  liberty-loving, 
he  was  proud  that  he  had  stood  face  to  face  with  Prussian  Guards  and 
here  again  at  Ivery  in  the  Argonne  east  of  Blanc  Mont  hill  210  was 
taken  before  Mt.  Faucon  could  be  reached. 

Hill  No.  210  was  bare  as  a  floor  and  it  had  to  be  climbed.  They 
would  run  a  few  steps  then  lie  down.  The  hill  had  to  be  taken  in 
broad  daylight.  Will  was  in  the  lead  and  while  lying  still  waiting 
for  the  barrage  to  lift  he  was  shot  in  the  foot,  the  first  one  shot  on  hill 
No.  210.  Fire  from  the  enemy's  machine  guns  was  too  hot  and  they 
were  driven  down  only  to  try  again.  Will  got  to  try  but  once ;  how- 
ever, they  tried  five  times  and  each  time  they  were  driven  back,  but 
they  succeeded  the  sixth  time  and  before  night  the  hill  was  won.  Will 
was  wounded  at  12  o'clock  noon. 

The  Germans  had  the  advantage,  for  they  were  well  entrenched 
and  the  hill  being  bare  gave  our  boys  no  protection,  yet  the  hill  was 
won  by  the  brave  37th  Division.  While  the  Division  went  on  Will 
went  back  of  the  lines  about  five  miles  to  the  first  aid  station  where 
his  wound  was  dressed.  His  wound  did  not  seem  serious  at  first, 
for  after  he  had  his  foot  dressed  he  intended  to  go  back  to  his  outfit, 

264 


but  they  were  out  of  reach  and  he  went  to  the  nearest  Division,  which 
was  the  First  Division,  with  whom  he  remained  two  days  and  one 
night.  The  First  Division  was  at  this  time  in  the  thick  of  the  fight. 
On  the  eve  of  the  29th  of  September  a  shot  penetrated  his  gas  mask 
but  he  did  not  know  it,  but  the  mustard  gas  had  got  in  his  eyes.  Short- 
ly afterward  a  large  shell  burst  near  him,  which  tore  his  gas  mask  off, 
and  Will  got  it  all  over  his  body  and  he  was  blinded.  He  had  to  be 
taken  to  a  hospital  in  a  truck,  for  the  wound  in  his  foot  had  gradually 
got  worse  instead  of  better,  and  the  gas  was  too  awful  to  think  about. 
Will  had  met  the  Prussian  Guards  with  their  brutal  weapons.  He 
had  gone  as  long  and  as  often  as  he  could ;  but  now  he  had  to  be  taken 
back  of  the  lines  to  a  hospital  in  a  truck.  He  was  taken  to  New 
Chateau,  Base  Hospital  66,  where  he  found  many  wounded  of  all  de- 
scription. This  was  some  kind  of  an  evacuation  hospital,  and  he  re- 
mained there  but  a  week  when  he  was  removed  to  Vichy  in  southern 
France.  He  was  by  this  time  beginning  to  see  a  little  and  his  foot 
was  healing  nicely  but  his  skin  was  all  festered.  He  went  to  Vichy 
on  an  American  Red  Cross  train,  but  this  place  was  so  crowded  with 
wounded  that  it  was  impossible  to  take  care  of  all  of  them  or  house  all, 
so  many  of  the  wounded  had  to  lie  out  in  the  street.  On  account  of 
the  crowded  condition  they  shipped  150  of  the  wounded  to  a  con- 
valescent camp  at  Roanne  and  there  Will  was  sent  and  remained  there 
until  the  16th  of  November.  He  was  at  Roanne  when  the  armistice 
was  signed.      His  eyes  got  better  and  he  could  wear  shoes  again. 

From  Roanne  he  went  to  Blois,  a  reclassification  camp,  where  he 
was  put  in  Class  B  2,  which  meant  light  duty  from  three  to  six  months 
behind  the  lines  according  to  his  physical  condition ;  but  the  signing 
of  the  armistice  put  a  stop  to  this  and  on  the  24th  of  November  Will 
was  ordered  back  to  the  States  and  he  left  Blois  on  the  25th  for  Brest. 
He  reached  Brest  on  the  27th  and  remained  there  11  days  during  which 
time  he  saw  real  mud ;  mud  knee  deep,  and  the  term  Mud  Camp  was 
putting  it  mildly. 

On  the  8th  of  December  Will  sailed  on  the  Leviathan  or  Father- 
land as  she  used  to  be  called ;  they  had  a  splendid  trip  across  on  a  large 
boat  with  a  large  crowd.  He  landed  at  Hoboken  on  the  16th  of 
December,  1918,  and  was  sent  to  Camp  Merritt.  He  was  at  Camp 
Merritt  four  days  and  from  there  he  was  sent  to  Columbus  Barracks, 
Ohio,  from  where  he  was  discharged  on  the  4th  of  January,  1919, 
reaching  home  the  next  day. 

During  his  time  in  the  army  he  went  through  a  great  deal  of 
hardship ;  yet  he  was  under  American  command  and  always  had 
American  treatment  and  American  food  and  although  short  sometimes 

265 


it  was  always  clean.      The  reason  the  supplies  were  short  was  that  it 
was  sometimes  impossible  for  the  food  supply  to  reach  them. 
Following  is  his  discharge  and  enlistment  record. 

HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

Office  of  the  Quartermaster,  Columbus  Barracks,  Ohio. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  William 
H.  Wohlert,  2417710,  private,  Blois  Casual  Co.,  the  United  States 
Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby  honor- 
ably discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States  by 
reason  of  1st  Ind.  A.  G.  O.  dated  December  14,  1918.  Said  William 
H.  Wohlert  was  born  in  Bethalto  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  When  en- 
listed he  was  25  years  of  age  and  by  occupation  an  Engineer.  He  had 
blue  eyes,  brown  hair,  ruddy  complexion,  and  was  6  feet  1  inch  in 
height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Columbus  Barracks,  Ohio,  this  4th 
day  of  January,  1919.  F.  O.  Johnson,  Colonel  of  Cavalry,  Com- 
manding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  William  H.  Wohlert.  Grade:  Private,  2717710.  En- 
listed April  29th,  1918,  at  Alton,  Illinois;  serving  in  first  enlistment 
period  at  date  of  discharge.  Prior  service  :  None.  Non-commissioned 
officer:  Never.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating:  No 
practice.  Horsemanship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements, 
skirmishes,  expeditions:  Lorraine  Front,  France,  July  17th,  1918; 
Verdun  Front,  Sept.  23rd,  1918.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation :  En- 
gineer. Wounds  received  in  service :  Gas  inhalation,  Lorraine  Front, 
France,  July  18th,  1918 ;  G.  S.  W.  right  heel.  Physical  condition  when 
discharged :  Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed :  No  record. 
Paratyphoid  prophylaxis  completed  :  No  record.  Married  or  single : 
Single.  Character :  Excellent.  Remarks :  Service  honest  and  faith- 
ful. No  A.  W.  O.  L. ;  no  absence  under  G.  O.  45-1914.  Entitled  to 
travel  allowance  to  Alton,  Illinois.  Served  in  the  American  Expedi- 
tionary Forces  in  France,  June  4,  1918,  to  Dec.  8,  1918.  Signature 
of  soldier:  William  H.  Wohlert.  Victor  L.  Colson,  1st  Lieut,  of  Inf. 
Commanding  307  Blois  Casual  Co.  Paid  in  full :  $175.21 ;  J.  M.  Ward, 
Capt.  Q.  M.  R.  C. 


CHARLES  KUHN. 

Charles  Kuhn,  son  of  W.  F.  and  Emman  Belk  Kuhn,  was  born  in 
Youngstown,  Ohio,  Feb.  17,  1889.  The  mother  came  to  her  parents' 
home  south  of  Bethalto  when  Charles  was  eleven  months  old ;  and 
shortly  afterward    the  mother  died,    leaving  Charles    in  care  of   his 

266 


Aunt  Alice  and  his  grand-parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  W.  L.  Belk,  who 
were  living  on  the  farm  two  miles  south  of  Bethalto.  The  Belks  re- 
tired from  the  farm  and  moved  to  Bethalto  where  Charles  received  his 
first  education  and  when  later  the  grandparents  moved  to  Upper  Alton 
Charles  completed  his  education  there. 

Charles  comes  from  an  old  family  of  Americans.  His  mother's 
mother  was  Eliza  Montgomery  before  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Belk.  Mrs. 
Belk's  grandfather,  Thomas  Montgomery,  and  her  grandfather,  John 
Rattan,  came  to  America  in  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  and 
both  fought  under  Greene  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  History  shows 
that  both  were  present  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown  and  assisted  in  the 
downfall  of  Lord  Cornwallis  and  consequently  in  the  closing  of  the 
Revolutionary  War  which  was  the  first  real  war  for  liberty.  History 
repeats  itself;  for  what  the  two  great-great  grandfathers  assisted  in 
starting  the  great-great  grandchild  assisted  in  completing  140  years 
later.  John  Rattan  is  the  only  Revolutionary  soldier  buried  in  this 
section  of  the  State.  He  lies  buried  in  the  Vaughn  cemetery,  about 
three  miles  south  of  Bethalto.  The  Montgomery  family  purchased 
land  from  the  U.  S.  Government,  part  of  which  is  still  in  the  hands  of 
one  of  the  Montgomery  heirs.  The  original  grant  is  still  in  his  pos- 
session. 

Charles'  Aunt  Alice  is  proud  of  her  nephew,  for  he  was  in  her 
care  from  childhood  and  after  he  grew  older  and  the  nation  needed  him 
she  was  proud  that  her  nephew  could  serve  in  the  37th  Division  in 
France  and  in  the  Argonne,  which  Division  assisted  in  settling  forever 
what  our  forefathers  of  the  great  Revolution  began  in  1776,  namely, 
Liberty  for  All  and  Acts  of  Aggression  for  None. 

Mrs.  Alice  Hart  and  her  sister,  Mrs.  Mae  Worden,  are  Daughters 
of  the  American  Revolution,  having  joined  the  National  Society  of  the 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution,  Washington,  D.  C,  in  1913. 
They  are  the  lineal  descendants  of  Thomas  Montgomery,  who  was 
born  in  Ireland  in  1747  and  came  to  America  in  1769.  While  acting 
in  the  capacity  of  soldier  he  assisted  in  establishing  American  inde- 
pendence under  General  Nathaniel  Greene. 

Charles  had  two  great  uncles  in  the  Mexican  war,  namely :  Thomas 
Montgomery  and  William  Belk.  William  Belk  also  fought  in  the 
war  between  the  States  from  1861  to  1865. 

Charles  visited  his  father  in  Youngstown,  Ohio,  in  1905  and  while 
there  he  enlisted  in  the  Ohio  National  Guards  and  served  three  years. 
He  little  dreamed  that  thirteen  years  later  he  would  again  become  part 
of  the  Ohio  National  Guards,  which  had  become  the  37th  Division. 


267 


While  going  to  school  at  Bethalto,  Charles  had  many  playmates 
and  friends,  among  them  was  Willie  Wohlert;  but  after  he  left 
Bethalto  and  moved  to  Upper  Alton  the  two  never  met  to  know  each 
other  until  by  chance  they  became  acquainted  again  just  before  they 
were  ready  to  step  off  the  ship  at  Brest.  Charles  and  Willie  were 
living  in  Alton  then,  and  each  was  anxious  to  go ;  so  in  order  to  hurry 
matters  along  each  took  some  other's  place,  and  both  left  Alton  on  the 
same  train.  Their  history  from  then  on  reads  much  the  same;  for 
they  were  together  before  they  became  acquainted  and  remained  to- 
gether to  within  the  last  few  days  of  their  service. 

Charles  went  in  another's  place  by  more  than  a  1,000,  and  left  on 
the  29th  of  April,  1918.  He  was  sent  to  Camp  Dix,  N.  J.,  and  by  the 
latter  part  of  May  they  went  to  Camp  Lee,  Va.,  where  the  Ohio  Na- 
tional Guards,  Charles'  old  regiment,  had  been  training  since  the  be- 
ginning of  the  war.  These  new  boys  were  sent  to  Camp  Lee  to  put 
this  Division  to  war  strength.  While  they  were  at  Camp  Lee  they 
drilled  hard  early  and  late  for  they  had  to  learn  in  a  short  time  what 
the  others  had  learned  in  years. 

On  the  22nd  of  June  they  boarded  the  ship  Pocahontas  at  New- 
port News  and  started  on  their  journey  across  the  next  morning.  They 
landed  safely  at  Brest  on  the  5th  of  July.  They  went  to  the  Pont- 
enesen  Camp  near  the  Old  Napoleon  Barracks,  and  from  there  they  left 
in  second  class  passenger  coaches  and  rode  three  days  and  nights, 
finally  reaching  Damblain  through  Nancy  where  they  had  their  first 
experience  in  warfare  for  here  they  heard  the  roar  of  the  cannon  for 
the  first  time.  They  remained  in  Damblain  until  the  16th  of  July, 
then  boarded  trains  and  going  to  within  ten  miles  of  the  lines. 

At  one  time  when  Charles  was  at  Patrol  School  he  was  accidental- 
ly cut  in  the  hand  with  a  knife ;  he  was  at  once  sent  to  the  infirmary 
and  although  he  protested  they  gave  him  two  shots  of  anti-tetanic 
preparation  of  1,500  units.      Great  care  was  taken  to  prevent  lockjaw. 

On  the  21st  of  September  they  went  to  the  Avoucourt  Sector,  and 
on  the  25th  they  hiked  to  the  front  lines  in  the  Argonne  drive.  The 
happy-go-lucky  spirit  was  fast  fading  from  the  faces  of  the  boys,  for 
after  the  25th  of  September  misery  was  in  store  for  all.  When  too 
thirsty,  some  would  drink  out  of  shell  holes,  little  dreaming  the  water 
was  covered  with  gas  which  made  them  sick ;  but  they  were  without 
water  and  sheer  desperation  drove  them  to  disobey  orders  about  drink- 
ing water ;  but  they  cared  little  for  they  went  into  the  arena  amidst  the 
dead,  wounded  and  dying.  Over  the  top  they  went,  over  the  hills, 
down  into  the  valleys  beyond  they  strode.  Many  Germans  were  killed, 
many  who  were  able  evacuated  the  territory  when  the  Americans'  on- 


2GS 


slaught  began  in  earnest.  At  one  place  our  boys  captured  a  German 
who  was  still  chained  to  a  machine  gun.  He  was  a  happy  man  when 
taken  prisoner.  He  stated  he  was  45  years  old,  a  baker  by  trade,  and 
had  been  forced  into  the  service,  leaving  a  wife  and  seven  children  at 
home. 

The  boys  captured  many  prisoners  but  the  sergeants  received 
credit  for  everything  they  took  and  the  privates  got  the  balance.  On 
the  night  of  the  26th  of  September  it  rained  hard,  their  overcoats  were 
thrown  away  and  the  boys  were  a  sorry  looking  sight.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  27th  thev  ate  breakfast  and  started  into  the  fray  again.  At 
noon  he  heard  that  his  friend  Willie  had  been  wounded,  the  first  one 
in  his  companv.  Later  on  in  the  afternoon  Hill  210  was  taken  and 
held  by  our  boys.  Will  went  back  of  the  lines,  where  he  got  hi  with 
the  First  Division  who  were  ready  to  relieve  the  35th  Division. 
Charles  went  on.  Hill  No.  210  was  in  their  possession.  The  enemy 
had  evacuated  hurriedly,  leaving  cigars,  cigarettes,  etc.,  behind  them. 
Charles  got  a  razor  and  a  pair  of  scissors  which  he  kept  as  tokens. 

On  the  morning  of  the  28th  they  started  for  Ivery.  They  fought 
all  day  for  that  town  and  captured  it  by  night ;  but  they  paid  dear  for 
it.  Their  first  lieutenant  was  killed  and  the  second  lieutenant  was  put 
in  charge.      Their  sergeant  also  was  killed  besides  many  privates. 

In  reading  over  this  hurriedly  we  little  realize  what  72  hours  of 
fighting  means,  we  little  realize  the  strain  it  produces  on  the  nerves 
of  our  youth.  Seventy-two  hours  are  in  reality  so  many  months  to 
those  who  witnessed  this  ordeal. 

The  next  day,  on  the  29th  of  September  they  started  to  advance  on 
Ceirge.  In  capturing  Ivery  they  were  assisted  by  eleven  French 
tanks  and  they  also  assisted  in  taking  Ceirge.  They  would  advance 
some  distance,  then  hide  in  some  shell  hole.  During  these  times 
Charles  noted  the  accuracy  of  our  American  gunners.  At  several 
places  he  saw  where  an  American  shell  had  completely  covered  up  a 
machine  gun  nest  and  had  dug  a  hole  deep  enough  for  our  boys  to 
crawl  into  to  get  a  fresh  start. 

But  the  Americans  were  not  the  only  ones  doing  the  shooting. 
Machine  gun  bullets  were  hissing  everywhere  and  high  explosive 
shells  were  falling  here  and  there.  Finally  while  in  an  old  German 
trench  mounting  an  automatic  rifle  a  German  shell  lit  near,  exploded, 
killed  his  loader  and  wounded  Charles  in  the  right  hip  and  right  ankle. 
The  shell  fire  was  so  intense  that  he  had  to  lie  in  the  shell  hole  in  the 
trench  two  hours  before  he  could  be  taken  away.  Corporal  Burke 
carried  him  to  the  first  aid  station  where  he  was  tagged  and  sent  to 
the  Field  Hospital  at  Souey,  where  the  pieces  of  shrapnel   were    re- 

269 


moved  from  the  hip  and  ankle.  There  he  had  the  first  experience  of 
ether.      He  saw  many  a  poor  boy  in  a  worse  shape. 

From  Souey  he  was  sent  to  Base  Hospital  15,  at  Chaumont,  where 
Pershing  had  his  headquarters.  He  was  at  Chaumont  two  days,  then 
they  loaded  him  into  an  American  Red  Cross  train  and  sent  him  to 
Nantes.  At  Nantes  Base  11,  he  received  excellent  treatment  and  was 
able  to  be  sent  back  to  his  outfit  on  armistice  day.  He  was  sent  to 
Ghent,  Belgium,  but  by  the  time  he  reached  Ghent  his  outfit  was  in 
the  Army  of  Occupation  and  he  was  sent  to  La  Mans  where  he  met 
Walter  (Punk)  Woods,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  341st  Machine  Gun 
Battalion,  being  1st  lieutenant.  While  at  La  Mans,  Charles  took  the 
"flu"  and  he  was  sent  to  the  Hospital  Base  52  and  remained  there 
seven  days,  then  he  was  transferred  to  a  Belgium  camp  where  he  met 
a  large  bunch  of  Alton  boys  who  had  been  in  the  84th  Division.  In 
the  meantime  his  Division  was  relieved  from  the  Army  of  Occupation 
and  the  whole  bunch  went  to  La  Mans  where  he  joined  them  and  they 
all  received  their  pay,  the  first  since  the  18th  of  August.  During  the 
time  he  was  receiving  no  money  the  Red  Cross  furnished  him  tobacco, 
etc. 

On  the  16th  of  February  he  went  to  the  hospital  on  account  of 
ear  trouble  and  there  he  spent  his  birthday.  On  the  17th  his  outfit 
received  orders  to  move  to  some  port  of  embarkation.  In  the  mean- 
time Charles  rode  40  kilos  in  an  ambulance  to  a  hospital  Base  52, 
where  he  remained  four  days,  after  which  time  he  was  sent  to  Base  85 
at  Angers  where  he  remained  about  10  days.  From  there  he  was 
sent  to  Brest,  where  he  found  his  outfit  ready  to  sail  for  home.  They 
loaded  onto  the  Von  Steuben  on  the  13th  of  March  and  sailed  on  the 
15th  and  within  a  week  they  arrived  at  Hoboken.  From  Hoboken 
Charles  went  to  Camp  Mills,  where  he  remained  15  days,  and  was 
then  sent  to  Camp  Grant,  where  he  remained  five  days  when  he  was 
discharged,  reaching  home  on  the  16th  of  April,  1919.  Charles  had 
been  through  much,  he  had  everything  from  the  size  of  a  cannon  ball 
down  to  a  cootie,  only  the  latter  came  in  great  numbers.  After  he 
got  out  of  the  trenches  he  was  deloused  wherever  and  whenever  he 
changed  his  boarding  place.  The  last  cootie  mill  he  went  through 
was  at  Camp  Mills,  with  the  result  that  the  wrinkles  never  will  get  out 
of  his  clothes. 

Following  is  his  discharge  and  enlistment  record: 
HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern:  This  is  to  certify  that  Charles  E. 
Kuhn,  2417679,  1st  class  private  Co.  F,  147th  Infantry,  the  United 
States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby 

270 


honorably  discharged  from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States 
by  reason  of  convenience  of  the  government  G.  O.  100,  Par.  2,  Camp 
Grant,  111.,  April  11,  1919.  Said  Charles  E.  Kuhn  was  born  in 
Youngstown  in  the  State  of  Ohio.  When  enlisted  he  was  29  2-12 
years  of  age  and  by  occupation  a  machine  operator.  He  had  blue  eyes, 
dark  hair,  ruddy  complexion  and  was  5  feet  5  1-2  inches  in  height. 
Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp  Grant,  111.,  this  14th  day  of  April,  1919. 
Hamilton  D.  Turner,  Major  Inf.  U.  S.  A.,  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name:  Charles  E.  Kuhn.  Grade:  1st  grade  private.  Inducted 
April  29,  1918,  at  Alton,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at  date 
of  discharge.  Prior  service:  None,  except  4  years  Ohio  National 
Guards,  1908-1912.  Non-commissioned  officer :  Never.  Marksman- 
ship, gunner  qualification  or  rating :  Not  rated.  Horsemanship  :  Not 
mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes,  expeditions:  With 
A.  E.  F.  from  June  22.  1918  to  March  22,  1919,  Barcarat  Sector  Aug.  4 
to  Sept.  16,  Avocourt  9-21  to  9-25,  Meuse-Argonne  Sept.  26-29-18. 
Knowledge  of  any  vocation :  Machine  operator.  Wounds  received  in 
service  :  Two,  slightly,  Sept.  29,  1918.  Physical  condition  when  dis- 
charged :  Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed :  Unknown.  Mar- 
ried or  single:  Character:  Excellent.  Remarks:  No  A.  W.  O.  L. 
under  G.  O.  45  W.  D.  1914  or  G.  O.  31  W.  D.  1912.  Signature  of 
soldier :  Charles  E.  Kuhn.  \\\  Bush,  Capt.  Inf.  U.  S.  A.  Command- 
ing 2nd  Co.  161st  D.  B.  Camp  Grant,  111.,  April  14,  1919.  Paid  in  full 
$149.11,  including  bonus.      S.  H.  Francis,  Capt.  Q.  M.  C. 


CHARLES  COOPER. 


Charles  M.  Cooper,  son  of  Ernest  and  Julia  Cooper,  was  born  in 
Moro  township  about  seven  miles  northeast  of  Bethalto,  March  23, 
1893.  He  attended  the  Yorkville  school  until  he  completed  the 
Eighth  grade,  after  which  time  he  assisted  his  parents  on  the  farm 
until  he  was  called  to  the  colors  Feb.  23,  1918,  when  he  left  Edwards- 
ville  in  company  with  J.  S.  Conroy  of  Worden,  Albert  Kayser,  Rein- 
hart  Kruckeburg,  Henry  Bangert  of  Fort  Russell,  and  others,  for 
Camp  Taylor.  After  reaching  the  camp  the  boys  soon  scattered  in 
different  directions  and  Charley  was  put  in  the  17th  Co.  5th  Tr.  Bn., 
but  was  afterward  transferred  to  the  335th  Infantry,  84th  Division, 
and  remained  in  the  335th  until  he  was  transferred  to  the  First 
Division. 


271 


In  July  they  left  Camp  Taylor  for  Camp  Sherman,  Ohio,  where 
Charley  became  corporal,  a  position  he  held  faithfully  until  he  finally 
fell  from  the  ranks,  while  making  preparation  to  wrest  the  city  of 
Sedan  from  the  enemy. 

About  the  25th  of  August  they  left  Camp  Sherman  for  Camp 
Mills,  where  they  were  equipped  with  overseas  clothing  and  on  the 
third  of  September  they  left  the  U.  S.  shore  on  the  British  banana 
boat  Karmala,  arriving  at  Liverpool  on  the  16th.  From  there  they 
crossed  England  to  Southampton,  crossed  the  channel  and  landed  at 
La  Havre.  From  there  they  went  up  hill  to  Camp  No.  1,  rested  a  bit, 
then  down  again  to  La  Havre,  where  they  boarded  the  French  box  cars 
for  somewhere  east  to  within  about  15  kilos  of  the  lines  where  the  roar 
of  the  cannon  could  be  distinctly  heard.  This  was  near  the  Argonne 
where  the  First  Division  was  located,  and  which  Division  Charley  and 
his  friends  were  destined  to  become  a  part  of. 

The  writer  has  passed  over  Charley's  travels  hurriedly  for  they 
have  been  described  before  and  the  reader  is  left  to  imagine  his  trials. 
Charley  joined  the  First  Division  about  the  20th  of  October  and  was 
placed  in  Co.  K,  28th  Infantry. 

Before  follov/ing  Charley  a  short  explanation  is  made  showing 
why  the  28th  Infantry  needed  replacements.  The  following  history 
explains  all:  The  28th  Infantry  left  Texas  the  first  part  of  June, 
1917,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  14th  of  June  they,  the  first  of  the 
A.  E.  F.,  left  Hoboken  with  65  officers  and  2414  men,  passed  safely 
through  the  submarine  zone  and  landed  at  St.  Nazaire,  France,  the 
first  American  combat  unit  to  place  foot  on  European  soil.  From 
there  they  v/ent  to  the  Gondrecourt  area,  where  they  received  training 
and  instructions  from  the  French  "Blue  Devils"  who  were  known  for 
their  dash  and  daring.  They  found  willing  pupils  and  were  ready 
to  go  rain  or  shine,  mostly  rain.  They  could  hear  the  guns  on  the 
front  and  by  the  21st  of  October,  1917,  they  were  ready  for  the  front; 
they  were  learning  fast,  they  became  familiar  with  different  kinds  of 
gas,  the  "swish"  of  machine  guns  bullets  and  the  noise  of  bursting 
shrapnel  before  they  met  the  enemy. 

During  the  winter  1917-1918  the  weather  was  anything  but 
"sunny,"  and  by  spring  they  were  beginning  to  count  their  casualties. 
During  May  and  June,  1918,  they  "mopped  up"  a  number  of  places ; 
but  by  July  they  had  been  subjected  to  the  supreme  test  and  when  the 
French  took  over  their  sector  on  July  9th  their  casualties  numbered 
64  officers  and  1131  men. 

During  the  battle  of  Soissons  in  which  Ed.  Henkhaus  was  killed 
and  Elmer  Olthoff  was  wounded  the  28th  of  the  First  Division 
casualty  list  was  56  officers  and  17G0  men ;  but  the  spirit  lived  to  form 

272 


a  new  regiment  and  new  replacements  were  received,  and  farther  east 
they  went.  During  August  the  28th  fought  in  the  Toul  sector  and 
assisted  in  the  reduction  of  the  St.  Mihiel  Salient.  Hardly  had  the 
St.  Mihiel  Sector  been  cleared  when  the  First  American  Army  made 
preparation  to  push  the  Germans  from  the  Argonne  Forest.  The 
First  Division  did  not  begin  its  work  on  the  famous  26th  of  September, 
but  they  were  held  in  reserve  and  by  the  30th  of  September  they  went 
over  shell  torn  roads  to  relieve  the  35th  Division.  They  established 
Regimental  P.  C.  at  Very,  once  a  beautiful  city,  now  a  mass  of 
thousands  of  ruined  homes.  It  was  difficult  for  the  horse  drawn 
artillery  to  move  forward  through  the  underbrush  ;  and  the  men  often 
swept  forward  to  silence  the  machine  guns  one  after  another.  Hills 
were  numbered  according  to  their  height  above  sea  level  and  Hill  263 
and  a  chain  of  other  hills  including  240  and  269  with  their  underbrush, 
barbed  w^re  entanglements,  etc.,  were  lost  to  the  Germans,  but  the  28th 
paid  dear  for  these  gains  and  in  gaining  their  objective  they  sacrificed 
1677  men. 

It  can  be  readily  seen  that  the  First  Division  and  the  28th  In- 
fantry needed  new  men.  New  replacements  arrived  October  20th  and 
their  training  was  immediately  begun.  It  was  learned  that  the  First 
Division  had  to  be  used  again. 

The  335th  Infantry  of  the  84th  Division  of  which  Charley  Cooper 
w^as  a  unit  had  by  that  time  reached  the  place  where  new  replacements 
were  needed  and  when  the  28th  called  for  10  corporals,  4  sergeants 
and  many  privates,  Charley  was  one  of  these  who  volunteered  and  he 
became  corporal  in  Co.  K,,  28th  Infantry,  when  they  were  making 
preparation  for  the  last  round,  which  began  about  the  first  of  No- 
vember and  continued  incessantly  until  the  7th  of  November  when 
they  were  relieved ;  but  during  these  trying  days  of  constant  fighting 
from  Nov.  5th  to  Nov.  8th,  without  food  and  water,  without  shelter, 
fighting  in  the  open  where  there  were  no  trenches,  where  there  was  no 
rest,  and  shrapnel  flying  everywhere,  shells  bursting  here  and  machine 
gun  and  rifle  bullets  swishing  there,  causing  another  loss  of  217  men 
and  officers  of  which  our  friend  Charley  was  one.  He  led  his  squad 
as  long  as  he  could,  he  was  wounded  and  went  back  to  the  dressing 
station ;  but  the  enemy  was  not  more  than  a  hundred  yards  away  and 
it  mattered  not  whether  they  were  going  forward  or  back  to  the  dress- 
ing station  for  lead  and  steel  was  flying  as  thick  as  bees  in  a  swarm 
and  probably  Charley  never  reached  the  dressing  station  and  his 
friends  learned  the  next  day  that  he  had  failed  to  return  and  that  not 
a  member  of  his  squad  had  returned.  However  they  had  gained  a 
victory  although  at  a  terrible  cost.      The  city  of  Sedan  was  ready  to 

273 


be  taken  which  was  left  to  the  French.  They  were  relieved  on  the 
last  day  of  Charley's  stay  which  was  on  the  evening  of  the  7th  of 
November. 

The  28th  had  left  the  shores  of  America  with  65  officers  and  2414 
men.  As  their  ranks  were  depleted  new  men  were  added.  It  thus 
happened  that  the  28th  had  casualties  amounting  to  157  officers  and 
4721  men,  of  which  39  officers  and  895  men  were  killed  in  action. 

We  honor  Charley  for  his  bravery,  the  nation  honors  him ;  and  in 
the  future  will  feel  the  more  proud  when  we  begin  to  realize  the  val- 
uable service  he  has  rendered. 


GROVER  CLEVELAND  WIEMERS. 

Grover  C.  Wiemers  was  born  in  Alton,  111.,  August  5,  1893.  His 
parents  were  Charles  and  Catherine  Woods,  but  the  mother  died  when 
he  was  five  years  old  and  the  father  died  when  he  was  six  years  old, 
leaving  him,  a  brother  and  a  sister,  orphans.  He  remained  at  the 
orphans'  home  and  was  later  adopted  by  a  family  by  the  name  of 
Wiemers  whose  name  he  adopted.  The  foster  parents  of  Grover 
are  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Wiemers,  of  Fort  Russell  Township,  about 
four  miles  southeast  of  Bethalto.  Grover  attended  school  a  few 
months  at  Alton  but  after  he  became  the  adopted  son  of  Charles 
Wiemers  he  went  to  the  Grove  school,  where  he  completed  the  Eighth 
grade  work.  The  foster  parents  gave  Grover  a  good  school  educa- 
tion and  on  account  of  the  kind  treatment  he  received  at  his  new  home 
he  remained  with  them  until  he  was  called  to  the  colors  in  the  fall  of 
1917. 

He  registered  in  June,  1917,  in  Fort  Russell  Township  and  was 
one  of  the  first  to  leave  for  the  army.  He  left  Edwardsville  for  Camp 
Taylor  on  the  19th  of  September  in  company  with  Emil  Paul,  Fred 
Sanders,  John  Silland.  Gus  Bangert,  Gus  Memkin  and  other  Fort 
Russell  boys.  Camp  Taylor  was  just  beginning  to  be  a  camp  for  the 
84th  Division,  and  Grover  was  placed  in  Co.  B,  333rd  Infantry.  The 
333rd,  334th,  335th,  336th  comprised  the  infantry  of  the  84th  Division. 
At  Camp  Taylor  Grover  received  the  usual  line  of  instruction,  such  as 
infantry  drills,  etc.,  remaining  there  about  three  months  when  he  was 
transferred  to  Camp  Gordon  near  Atlanta,  Georgia,  and  about  nine 
miles  south  of  the  city,  here  he  was  transferred  to  Headquarters  Corps, 
6th  Company.  When  he  arrived  at  Camp  Gordon  there  were  four 
barracks  on  the  grounds  and  the  Quartermaster  Corps  at  once  started 
to  handle  the  supplies  and  rations  for  those  who  were  to  build  up  the 

camp. 

274 


While  at  Camp  Taylor  Grover  went  to  cooks'  and  bakers'  school 
and  received  a  first  class  diploma  before  going  to  Camp  Gordon.  At 
Camp  Gordon  he  was  made  acting  sergeant  and  while  holding  this 
position,  there,  he  instructed  others  who  had  taken  a  course  elsewhere 
and  were  sent  to  Gordon  to  complete  their  course.  After  a  few  weeks 
of  extra  instruction  they  were  usually  transferred  to  points  where  most 
needed,  thus  Camp  Gordon  became  a  replacement  depot  for  all  classes. 

Grover  remained  at  this  camp  until  June  loth,  1918,  when  the  en- 
tire outfit  left  for  service  overseas,  going  to  Camp  Mills  where  they 
received  their  full  equipment.  They  had  received  their  O.  D.'s  at 
Gordon,  but  during  their  six  days'  stay  at  Mills  they  received  full 
equipment  and  after  passing  medical  examination  they  were  ready  to 
go.  They  left  Hoboken  on  the  21st  of  June  on  the  Duplont.  which 
was  one  of  a  convoy  of  17  troop  ships  which  were  guarded  by  three 
battleships  and  fifteen  destroyers,  making  a  grand  total  of  35  ships 
sailing  out  of  the  harbor,  a  grand  sight  to  behold.  They  placed 
American  rations  on  board  at  New  York  but  the  English  cooks  did  not 
seem  to  fill  the  bill  in  the  line  of  cooking  American  food  for  American 
soldiers. 

The  Duplont  had  2,500  soldiers  and  20  Red  Cross  nurses  on  board. 
Grover  had  charge  of  the  rations  while  on  board,  having  9  men  under 
him.  They  drew  rations  every  evening  for  the  three  kitchens  on 
board.  Grover's  duty  besides  that  was  to  inspect  the  kitchens  every 
day  for  the  officers  would  make  a  tour  every  day  to  see  that  utensils, 
etc.,  were  thoroughly  cleaned.  They  were  allowed  but  43  percent 
rations  across  and  care  had  to  be  taken  in  order  that  the  supply  lasted, 
for  they  expected  to  make  the  trip  in  ten  days,  but  on  account  of  hav- 
ing to  pass  through  the  submarine  zone  it  took  the  convoy  17  days; 
for  the  convoy  was  very  large  and  the  weather  stormy  and  foggy. 
\\hen  a  submarine  was  sighted  the  observation  balloons  were  turned 
loose  and  they  would  drop  depth  bombs  where  the  submarine  hove  in 
sight;  thus  they  sank  one  and  caused  another  to  disappear.  There 
were  supposed  to  be  five  submarines  in  the  vicinity  but  only  two  were 
seen.  There  were  about  50,000  lives  at  stake,  besides  a  great  deal  of 
ammunition  and  other  supplies. 

The  transports  sailed  in  the  center,  one  battleship  on  each  side, 
one  battleship  behind  and  fifteen  battle  cruisers  in  the  lead.  The 
order  was  when  six  blasts  were  heard  everybody  go  on  deck,  for  that 
meant  danger ;  and  when  at  one  time  seven  blasts  were  given  some  be- 
low heard  but  six  and  they  rushed  like  mad  up  the  steps ;  nothing 
could  stop  them  and  after  they  got  on  deck  they  were  told  of  the  error, 
but  one  of  the  boys  had  got  too  excited,  he  stopped  for  nothing  but 


275 


jumped  right  overboard  and  they  searched  for  him  in  vain.  This 
shows  how  their  nerves  were  always  strained.  This  happened  at  ten 
o'clock  at  night  and  the  night  foggy  and  rainy,  one  ship  had  got  too 
close  to  another  and  the  seven  blasts  meant  for  the  other  vessel  to  take 
care. 

The  excitement  calmed  down,  all  was  quiet  once  more  and  they 
landed  safely  at  Liverpool  on  the  9th  of  July.  The  Fourth  of  July, 
1918,  was  not  a  pleasant  one  for  many  a  soldier.  They  left  Liverpool 
on  a  train  for  Camp  Rumsey,  a  rest  camp  where  they  remained  three 
days.  This  camp  had  once  been  bombarded  by  German  air  raiders 
in  the  early  days  of  the  war,  but  little  could  be  noticed  of  the  damage. 
The  camp  was  near  Winchester.  After  a  three  days  rest  they  rode 
and  hiked  until  they  reached  Southampton  in  the  evening  and  they 
were  to  cross  the  channel  at  once,  but  on  account  of  the  submarines 
they  were  delayed  a  night  and  a  day.  They  hiked  to  a  rest  camp 
about  six  miles  out  of  the  city  and  remained  there  until  the  next  night 
when  they  crossed  the  channel,  reaching  La  Havre  safely  the  next 
morning. 

They  went  from  La  Havre  to  Rest  Camp  No.  1  "up  the  hill 
through  the  shady  lane,"  where  they  remained  one  night  and  then 
hiked  back  when  they  boarded  the  French  "Pullmans"  and  rode  three 
days  and  three  nights  reaching  Noise  le  Sec  near  Paris.  They  were 
there  three  days,  then  went  on  to  St.  Aignan.  While  at  St.  Aignan 
these  replacements  were  all  split  up  and  sent  to  different  parts  of 
France.  ' 

Grover  was  transferred  to  the  42nd  Division  and  was  with  them 
about  a  month  when  he  with  250  men  was  transferred  to  Headquarters 
Corps  stationed  at  Noyan.  This  seemed  to  be  the  location  of  the  main 
headquarters  and  men  were  sent  there  to  be  placed  where  they  were 
needed  at  the  front.  They  would  receive  intensive  training,  then 
placed  in  some  kind  of  a  stockade  and  from  there  they  were  placed 
according  to  their  ability,  and  sent  to  fill  the  gaps  of  whatever  division 
needed  them.  An  average  of  many  thousand  would  arrive  every  day 
and  the  same  number  would  leave  for  the  front. 

Ofiicers'  training  school  w-as  located  at  Noyan,  and  it  was  here 
they  rushed  them  through,  sometimes  with  very  little  training,  no  ex- 
perience, but  filled  to  the  brim  with  vim  and  "pep."  Grover  had 
charge  of  two  kitchens ;  although  there  were  twelve  kitchens  at  this 
camp  two  was  all  he  was  able  to  take  care  of  for  at  these  two  kitchens 
they  would  sometimes  feed  as  many  as  6,000  a  day.  A  record  of  the 
provisions  had  to  be  kept  and  taken  care  of  accurately. 

At  one  time  they  had  nothing  but  salmon,  beans  and  hard  tack, 
and  for  more  than  two  months  there  was  not  a  bite  of  fresh  meat  in 

276 


.- 

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i 

vri^jL^ 

GROVER  C.  WIEMERS 

Cook,  Infantry  Headquarters  Det. 
1st  Replacement  Depot 


JESSE  C.   WERTS 
Vet.  Corps,  A.  R.  D.  316 

LEE   WERTS 

JAMES  RAYMOND  WERTS 

Battery  F,  138th  Field  Artillery 

FRANK  WERTS 

WILLARD  GUY  WERTS 

Battery  D,  34th  Field  Artillery 


HENRY  WERTS 


the  camp.  Many  sick  and  wounded  were  also  coming  in  every  day ; 
Base  26  was  located  there  and  to  care  for  the  sick,  weary  and  wounded 
was  an  unpleasant  affair,  especially  when  there  was  so  little  food. 
This  was  a  time  of  rain,  mud,  and  misery. 

This  kind  of  work  kept  on  for  Grover  without  hesitating  from 
the  time  he  reached  this  camp  some  time  in  August,  1918,  until  the 
25th  of  June,  1919,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  days  after  the  armistice 
was  signed  when  the  rush  was  over  for  a  while ;  for  shortly  after  the 
armistice  it  seemed  as  if  the  lever  of  the  whole  military  machine  was 
reversed ;  instead  of  the  boys  going  east  they  were  traveling  west. 
There  was  one  difference,  however,  for  the  look  in  their  faces,  although 
haggard,  was  more  radiant  than  before,  but  the  work  was  no  less  for 
Grover. 

On  the  day  the  Armistice  was  signed  about  30,000  soldiers 
paraded ;  they  fired  volleys  over  the  graves  of  those  buried  at  the 
American  cemetery.  Base  26.  The  retrograde  movement  kept  up 
continually  until  the  26th  of  July,  1919,  when  they  broke  camp  and 
they,  too.  had  a  chance  to  go  home. 

During  all  this  time  these  many,  many  thousands  traveled  first 
east  then  west  through  Noyan,  but  Grover  saw  not  one  from  Bethalto. 
At  this  place  they  held  court  for  men  and  officers  who  had  been  re- 
ported for  various  misdedeamors.  It  was  while  Grover  was  sta- 
tioned there  that  two  negroes  were  courtmartialed  and  hanged.  It 
was  at  this  place  "Hard  Boiled"  Smith  was  courtmartialed  and  sent 
to  Fort  Leavenworth. 

Grover  continued  to  do  the  same  kind  of  work.  The  kitchens 
were  large  and  contained  from  8  to  10  stoves  in  each  kitchen  and  some 
stoves  were  large  enough  to  hold  15  kettles.  General  Pershing  in- 
spected the  kitchens  twice  while  Grover  was  there.  General  Persh- 
ing made  many  inquiries  about  the  kitchens  especially  where  he 
noticed  improvements. 

Grover  had  a  7-day  furlough  during  the  Christmas  holidays  which 
time  he  spent  on  the  beach  at  St.  Malo,  a  leave  area.  He  also  went 
to  St.  Machiel,  an  ancient  place  on  the  western  coast  of  France.  Here 
he  saw  real  dungeons.  He  traveled  through  Bordeaux,  Tours  and 
other  towns  and  then  went  to  Paris,  where  he  remained  4  days  seeing 
sights.  He  also  had  a  chance  to  visit  the  Chateau  at  Chateau  Thierry. 
From  there  he  went  back  to  Noyan  and  returned  to  his  duty. 

When  the  camp  broke  up  one  bunch  of  men  was  left  there  to  tear 
down  the  buildings  and  everything  was  expected  to  be  cleaned  up  by 
July  15.  At  Brest,  Grover  was  put  in  a  Casual  Co.  and  waited  until 
the  first  of  July,  when  he  boarded  the  Great  Northern,  the  fastest 
American  boat.      She  had  made  the  round  trip  in  11  days,  5  hrs.  and 

277 


20  min. ;  it  took  her  but  5  days,  2  hrs.  and  20  min.  in  crossing.  She 
passed  the  George  Washington  when  President  Wilson  was  returning 
home.  They  passed  the  spot  where  the  Titantic  met  her  fate.  They 
saw  many  icebergs  but  no  mishaps,  and  they  landed  safely  at  Hoboken, 
from  where  he  was  sent  to  Camp  Mills  to  be  discharged.  He  re- 
mained at  Camp  Mills  from  the  6th  to  the  15th.  Grover  had  spent 
two  Fourth  of  Julys  on  the  water. 

Grover  had  a  varied  experience  while  he  was  in  the  Army.  The 
day  before  he  left  Edwardsville  for  Camp  Taylor  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Katherine  Borchers,  and  while  he  was  in  the  hospital  his  wife 
nursed  him  for  forty-eight  days.  This  was  at  Camp  Taylor.  When 
he  crossed  the  waters  for  overseas  duty  his  wife  went  home  to  Fort 
Russell  Township  where  she  waited  until  he  returned. 

Following  is  his  discharge  and  enlistment  record: 
HONORABLE  DISCHARGE  FROM  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Grover 
Cleveland  Wiemers,  1975948,  Cook  Infantry  Hqr.  Detachment,  1st 
Repl.  Depot,  the  United  States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and 
faithful  service,  is  hereby  honorably  discharged  from  the  military 
service  of  the  United  States  by  reason  of  services  no  longer  required. 
1st  indorsement  letter  A.  G.  O.  370-5  Misc.  Du.  7-5-19.  Said  Grover 
Cleveland  Wiemers,  1975948,  was  born  in  Alton,  in  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois, When  enlisted  he  was  23  1-12  years  of  age  and  by  occupation 
a  Fireman.  He  had  blue  eyes,  light  hair,  fair  complexion  and  was 
5  feet  8  inches  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Mitchel  Field, 
L.  I.,  N.  Y.,  this  15th  day  of  July,  1919.  S.  W.  Wheeler,  Major  Air 
Service. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name :  Grover  Cleveland  Wiemers,  197598.  Grade :  Cook.  In- 
ducted Sept.  19,  1917  at  Edwardsville,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment 
period  at  date  of  discharge.  Prior  service:  None.  Non-commis- 
sioned officer :  Never.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating : 
None.  Horsemanship:  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements, 
skirmishes,  expeditions:  None.  Served  in  France  and  England. 
Left  U.  S.  June  3,  1918;  arrived  in  U.  S.  July  7,  1919;  entitled  to  wear 
two  service  chevrons.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation:  Fireman. 
Wounds  received  in  service:  None.  Physical  condition  when  dis- 
charged: Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed  Oct.  12,  1917. 
Paratyphoid  prophylaxis  completed  Oct.  12,  1917.  Married  or  single : 
Married.  Character:  Excellent.  Remarks.  Service  honest  and 
faithful.      No  absence  under  W.  D.  G.  O.  45,  1914  nor  A.  W.  O.  L.  of 

278 


record  Entitled  to  travel  pay  to  Edwardsville,  111.  Entitled  to 
$60.00  in  addition  to  all  amounts  due  him,  as  provided  in  Section  1406 
of  the  Rev.  Act.  of  1918.  Approved  Feb.  24,  1919.  Paid  in  full, 
$147.90,  including  bonus.  C.  E.  Robb,  Capt.  Q.  M.  Corps,  Com- 
manding Brest  Casuals. 


THE  WERTS  BROTHERS. 

"Werts  Brothers"  is  the  best  and  only  appellation  that  can  be  used 
in  this  connection.  The  song,  "America,  Here's  my  Boy,"  does  not 
fully  apply  in  this  case  for  the  picture  shows  what  an  offer  a  mother 
must  make  in  time  of  war. 

Mrs.  Cornelia  Werts.  mother  of  six  boys  and  two  girls,  lives  on 
a  farm  about  four  miles  northwest  of  Bethalto.  Her  husband,  Moses 
Werts,  died  May  27,  1915,  shortly  before  we  entered  the  World's  War, 
leaving  her  and  her  sons  to  tend  to  the  duties  that  pertain  to  farm 
life. 

When  the  day  of  registration  came,  June  5,  1917,  five  of  her  sons 
registered,  Jesse,  Frank,  Willard,  Henry  and  Ray ;  and  the  youngest, 
named  Lee,  registered  a  year  later,  for  he  was  too  young  June,  1917. 
The  call  was  made  and  it  was  up  to  the  boys  to  respond.  The  ques- 
tion in  what  manner  was  soon  settled  among  them.  They  were  ready 
when  Uncle  Sam  called,  therefore  it  was  up  to  the  nation  to  shape  their 
destiny.  Those  days  were  trying  ones  to  the  mother ;  no  one  knows 
as  well  as  the  one  who  has  gone  through  this  period.  No  one  knew 
the  future,  and  a  strong  heart  and  an  earnest  prayer  were  needed  to 
keep  up  the  spirit,  although  very  low  at  times. 

In  February,  1918,  Jesse  bid  the  family  farewell  and  started  for 
Camp  Taylor,  from  which  place  he  was  sent  to  Camp  Gordon,  Ga., 
where  he  was  placed  in  the  remount  station,  remaining  there  until 
July,  1919. 

In  May  Ray  went  to  Camp  Shelby,  Miss.,  where  he  was  placed  in 
Battery  F,  138th  F.  A.,  becoming  a  gunner.  On  October  6th  he  left 
New  York  with  his  company  and  sailed  for  France ;  but  the  time 
drifted  on  rapidly  and  after  moving  around  from  place  to  place  in 
France,  getting  nearer  and  nearer  the  battle  lines,  the  armistice  terms 
were  signed,  fighting  ceased  and  a  retrograde  movement  commenced, 
and  by  the  22nd  of  December,  1918,  Ray  was  back  in  the  good  old 
U.  S.,  reaching  home  about  a  month  later. 

Willard,  the  third  to  go,  left  Alton  June  28th,  1918.  He  went  to 
Camp  Taylor  in  company  with  Ted  Zimmerman  and  others,  but  the 
boys  soon  parted  and  the  last  time  they  saw  each  other  in  the  army 

279 


was  when  Willard  was  on  his  way  to  the  hospital  with  many  another 
boy,  Ted  going-  to  West  Point,  Ky.,  shortly  after  that,  and  Willard 
going  to  Camp  McClellan,  Alabama,  near  the  city  of  Anniston.  There 
he  was  placed  in  Battery  D,  34th  F.  A.,  where  he  remained  until  he  was 
sent  back  to  Camp  Taylor  to  be  discharged,  Feb.  4th,  1919. 

The  story  of  their  service  is  short,  but  in  reading  the  story  of 
others  we  know  what  they  did  for  America.  Frank  and  Henry  were 
not  called  and  Lee  had  but  a  short  time  after  registration  and  he  did 
not  go,  but  while  passing  the  house  you  could  see  three  service  stars 
in  the  window. 

The  Werts  Brothers  received  their  education  at  the  Werts  school, 
so  named  on  account  of  the  grandfather  donating  the  land  on  which 
the  Werts  school  stands.  They  received  a  good  common  education 
at  the  school  and  an  excellent  moral  training  at  home,  the  two  em- 
bodying the  type  of  Americanism.  After  the  war  was  over  and  the 
boys  returned  home  there  was  one  round  of  rejoicing  by  family  and 
friends. 

Their  discharges  and  enlistment  records  follow  in  order  as  they 
were  called. 

To  all  v/hom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Jesse  C. 
W^erts,  1995698,  Pvt.  unassigned,  (last  assigned  Vet.  Corps  A.  R.  D. 
316),  the  United  States  Army,  as  a  testimonial  of  honest  and  faith- 
ful service,  is  hereby  honorably  discharged  from  the  military  service 
of  the  United  States  by  reason  of  expiration  term  of  service,  P.  P.  S.  O. 
120  Hg.  C.  T.  Ky.  7-9-'19.  Said  Jesse  C.  Werts  was  born  in  Foster 
township  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  When  enlisted  he  was  31  years  of 
age  and  by  occupation  a  farmer.  He  had  blue  eyes,  light  hair,  light 
complexion,  and  was  5  feet  3  3-4  inches  in  height.  Given  under  my 
hand  at  Camp  Zachary  Taylor,  Ky..  this  10th  day  of  July,  1919. 
Arthur  J.  Vaughn,  Maj.  F.  A.,  U.  S.  A. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name :  Jesse  C.  Werts.  Grade :  Private.  Inducted  Feb.  25, 
1918.  at  Alton,  111.,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at  date  of  dis- 
charge. Prior  service:  None.  Non-commissioned  officer:  Never. 
Marksmanship,  gunner  qualifications  or  rating :  Not  qualified.  Horse- 
manship :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes,  expedi- 
tions :  None.  Decorations,  medals,  badges,  citations :  None. 
Knowledge  of  any  vocation :  Farmer.  Wounds  received  in  service : 
None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged:  Good.  Typhoid  pro- 
phylaxis completed  March  15,  1918.  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis  com- 
pleted, March  15,  1918.       Married    or  single:      Single.      Character: 

280 


Excellent.  Remarks :  Last  assigned  to  Vet.  Corps  A.  R.  D.  316.  Sig- 
nature of  soldier:  Jesse  C.  Werts.  Lewis  W.  Wubell,  1st  Lieut.  Inf., 
U.  S.  A. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  James  R. 
Werts,  1575161,  private,  first  class,  15  Co.  161  Depot  Brigade  (last 
assigned  Batt.  F..  138th  F.  A.),  the  United  States  Army  as  a  testi- 
monial of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby  honorably  discharged 
from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States  by  reason  of  con- 
venience of  government.  Par  8  S.  O.  20  Hg.  Camp  Grant,  Illinois, 
Jan.  20,  1919.  Said  James  R.  Werts  was  born  in  Fosterburg  in  the 
State  of  Illinois.  When  enlisted  he  was  23  years  of  age  and  by 
occupation  a  farmer.  He  had  gray  eyes,  brown  hair,  light  completion 
and  was  5  feet  4  inches  in  height.  Given  under  my  hand  at  Camp 
Grant,  Illinois,  this  24th  day  of  Jan,  1919.  James  A.  Wabath.  Maj. 
Inf.  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name :  James  R.  Werts.  Grade :  Private,  first  class.  Inducted 
May  28,  1918,  at  Alton,  Illinois,  serving  in  first  enlistment  period  at 
date  of  discharge.  Prior  service  :  None.  Non-commissioned  officer  : 
No.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating:  Not  qualified. 
Horsemanship  :  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engagements,  skirmishes,  ex- 
peditions :  None.  Embarked  for  A.  E.  F.  Oct.  6th.  1918.  arrived  in 
U.  S.  Dec.  22,  1919.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation :  Farmer.  Wounds 
received  in  service:  None.  Physical  condition  when  discharged: 
Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed  June  21,  1918.  Paratyphoid 
prophylaxis  completed  June  21,  1918.  Married  or  single:  Single. 
Character :  Very  good.  Remarks.  No  A.  W.  O.  L.  No  absence  under 
G.  O.  31-12  nor  under  G.  O.  45-14.  Signature  of  soldier:  James  R. 
Werts.  Charles  Conley,  Capt.  Inf.  U.  S.  A.,  Commanding  15  Co. 
161  D.  B. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern :  This  is  to  certify  that  Willard  G. 
Werts,  3702467,  private  1st  class  unassigned,  last  assigned  Bat.  D., 
34th  F.  A.  Camp  McClellan,  Ala.,  the  United  States  Army,  as  a  testi- 
monial of  honest  and  faithful  service,  is  hereby  honorably  discharged 
from  the  military  service  of  the  United  States  by  reason  of  Hon. 
Disch.  Cir.  No.  106  W.  D.  12-3-18,  and  par.  1-20-30.  Hg.  Camp 
Zachary  Taylor,  Ky.,  Jan.  30,  1919.  Said  Willard  G.  Werts  was  born 
in  Foster  township  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  When  enlisted  he  was  26 
years  of  age  and  by  occupation  a  farmer.     He    had  blue  eyes,    light 


2S1 


hair,  fair  complexion  and  was  5  feet  2  1-4  inches  in  height.  Given 
under  my  hand  at  Camp  Zachary  Taylor,  Ky.,  this  4th  day  of  Feb. 
1919.      Charles  O.  Warpel,  Maj.  U.  S.  A.  Commanding. 

ENLISTMENT  RECORD. 

Name :  Willard  G.  Werts.  3702467.  Grade  :  Private,  first  class. 
Inducted  June  28,  1918,  at  Alton,  Illinois,  serving  in  first  enlistment 
period  at  date  of  discharge.  Prior  service:  None.  Non-commis- 
sioned officer :  Never.  Marksmanship,  gunner  qualification  or  rating : 
Never  qualified.  Horsemanship:  Not  mounted.  Battles,  engage- 
ments, skirmishes,  expeditions  :  None.  Knowledge  of  any  vocation : 
Farmer.  Wounds  received  in  service:  None.  Physical  condition 
when  discharged:  Good.  Typhoid  prophylaxis  completed  Aug.  14, 
1918.  Paratyphoid  prophylaxis  completed  Aug.  14,  1918.  Married 
or  single :  Single.  Character :  Excellent.  Remarks  :  No  A.  W.  O.  L. 
No  unauthorized  absence  under  G.  O.  31  or  45  W.  D.  This  soldier 
was  ordered  to  report  to  Lo.  Bd.  No.  2,  Madison  County,  111.,  June  28, 
1918.  Reported  same  date  and  place.  Entitled  to  travel  pay.  Sig- 
nature of  soldier:  Willard  G.  Werts.  Fred  A.  D.  How,  1st  Lieut.  Inf., 
U.  S.  A.,  Commanding. 


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